Stewed 'Chicken' with Okra and Tomatoes

Tonight I am using Gardein vegan chicken breasts again - this recipe not only let me cook 'chicken' for my boyfriend for the second time, but included okra, his favorite veggie.

Trim the tops off 3 cups of okra (about 3/4 pound), and combine the okra in a large bowl with 4 cups water, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand for 1 hour, then drain and pat the okra dry with paper towels - this step helps get rid of some of the 'sliminess' that okra has otherwise.

You'll need 4 Gardein Tuscan chicken breasts for this recipe (2 packages), without the accompanying sauce, which you can either discard or set aside for another use. Sprinkle the 'chicken' with 1/4 tsp. black pepper (note: I omitted 1/4 tsp. salt, here). Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the 'chicken.' Cook for 4 minutes on each side - both sides should be lightly browned by the end.

Remove the 'chicken' from the skillet; add the okra pods and 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion; saute for 3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup vegetable broth, 1/2 cup organic dry white wine of your choice (I used a Petit Chablis), 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 whole cloves, 1 (14-ounce) can of diced tomatoes (undrained), and 1 minced garlic clove. Stir well to combine, then return the 'chicken' to the pan. Bring the mixture briefly to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Remove the 'chicken' from the pan a final time. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, and continue to cook until reduced to 2 cups (it should take about 5 minutes). Discard the cloves, and stir in 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley and 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar.

Serve 1 'chicken' breast with 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture for 4 servings of 320 calories each.

Cost:
okra $3.43
Gardein 'chicken' $7.99
dry white wine $19.99
canned diced tomatoes $1.99