Another great use for okra....Okra Griddle Cake Sandwiches

 

 

If you've been following my blog at all lately, you know we've been blessed with an abundant garden this year.  I've been scrambling trying to find ways to use all of the produce we've grown.  There's always the usual of course...freeze it, can it, dry it...but sometimes you just want it fresh, right then.  When hubby brought me up a big bucket of okra the other day, I decided it was time to break out a new okra recipe. 

 

  
There had been a great section in the July 2010 Southern Living edition on uses for okra, and I had remembered these great okra griddle cakes they had featured.  Of course, they were cute and petite in the magazine spread.  Ours, on the other hand, ended up ginormous; which given my hubby made them I should not have been surprised.   By the way, he's king daddy pancake maker in our family, so he got the honor of actually cooking them.  I decided, since they were so large, to use them in the place of buns with my pulled bbq chicken and topped them with a delicious cherry tomato salsa, another by product of my bountiful garden.

These sandwiches gave us a last lingering taste of summer, and they were so good! I will definitely make them again, but next time maybe keep them cute and petite and use them as an appetizer.

{print recipe}

Okra Griddle Cake Sandwiches-adapted from Southern Living
makes 17 3 1/2" cakes or 8 sandwich size cakes if your husband makes them

Griddle Cakes:

Ingredients:

4  bacon slices
1  cup  finely chopped okra
1 1/2  cups  self-rising white cornmeal mix
1/2  cup  all-purpose flour
1  tablespoon  sugar
1 2/3  cups  buttermilk
3  tablespoons  butter, melted
2  large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in skillet. Finely chop bacon. Sauté okra in hot drippings 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. 
Whisk together cornmeal mix and next 5 ingredients just until moistened; stir in okra and bacon.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each griddle cake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet.
Cook cakes 2 to 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked; turn and cook other side 1 to 2 minutes or until done.

 

BBQ Chicken:

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken breasts
Honey BBQ sauce of choice

Directions:

Bring large saucepan of water to a simmer, salt.  Add chicken breasts to water and cover with lid, slightly venting. Reduce heat to medium low and allow chicken to poach for approximately 20 minutes or until cooked through but still tender.  Remove and allow to cool.  Shred chicken with fingers and place in bowl.  Toss with favorite honey bbq sauce.

 

Cherry Tomato Salsa

 

Ingredients:

 

cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (3-4 cups)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine all of the above ingredients.  Allow salsa to sit for several minutes so that flavors can incorporate.

 

Serve griddle cakes topped with bbq chicken and cherry tomato salsa.

Enjoy!