[need2loseinGA]

Yesterday my landlord's dad asked me to come by his farm he had some fresh okra for me. Fresh as just cut off the plant yesterday. So I was wondering what are some different healthy ways I can cook them. I know I can boil them but are there any other ways other than deep frying them (yuck).

[shananigans]

I've used them in chili, other than that I've not tried them prepared any way but fried. Maybe you could coat them in bread crumbs (to do this I dip whatever I'm breading in milk, flour, then bread crumbs. You can even use whole wheat flour and breadcrumbs to make it healthier) then bake them in the oven? That might make something similar to fried okra? I’ve done this to make eggplant parm without the frying and it worked nicely.

[Dale Junior Fan]

Being a southern gal I love okra, I eat it about once a week. If you have a pot of fresh peas you can put a few pod in your peas as they are cooking.

Other than fried I love them this way. Slice up the pods, put some evoo in your pan then add okra and put the lid on it. You must keep stirring or they will stick at some point even with the oil and you may have to add a little more oil during cooking. It may take up to an hour to cook them down until they look like mush....it is so yummy. Then I just add a little salt and that is it.

Some ladies also cook them down with tomatoes, but I hate tomatoes.

Hope this helps.

[need2loseinGA]

Well I did some searching online and I think I am gonna try stir frying them. Here is the recipe I found online: (minus a few things that I don't have here)

http://southernfood.about.com/od/okra/r/bl10814k.htm

[jtammy]

Don't forget about using them in soups. They work great to thicken a soup base.

I like them the way Daph mentioned but add tomatoes (canned work fine). I also like pickled okra, but that's more work, and you need the really small ones to can then.

[BlueToBlue]

I love okra! Here are four of my favorite okra recipes:

Roasted Corn and Okra Salad
Everybody loves this salad, even people that don't normally like okra.

• 14 oz okra, diced
• 1 cup (6 oz) onion, diced
• 3-4 rosemary sprigs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 ears corn, kernals removed
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Toss onions, okra, and rosemary sprigs with olive oil and place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish or a large cookie sheet (spread veggies as thinly as possible). Roast in oven set to 450 for 10 minutes. Add corn and continue roasting until veggies reach desired tenderness, maybe 5 to 10 min more. Remove rosemary sprigs and toss with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 side servings at 120 calories each.

Okra in Spicy Yogurt Tomato Sauce

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 16 oz okra, cut in large pieces
• 4 oz onion (about 2/3 cup), diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt

Heat olive oil over med-high in large skillet. Add okra and onion and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 min more. Add tomatoes and all spices, bring to boil and simmer until tomatoes are thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool until it is still warm but it doesn't burn your mouth if you eat it with blowing on it first). Stir in the yogurt (if you add the yogurt while the mixture is hot, it will curdle). Return to low heat and warm until just hot. Do not overheat or the yogurt will curdle (don't let it boil).

Makes 4 large side-dish servings at about 125 calories per serving.

Beef and Rice Casserole with Okra

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 cups diced celery (7 oz)
• 1 cup diced onion (6 oz)
• 1 cup diced red pepper (6 oz)
• 16 oz diced okra
• 1 cup brown rice
• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 4 oz canned diced green chilis
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1-2 tsp cumin
• 1-2 tsp worcestorshire sauce
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) shredded reduced fat cheese

Saute ground beef and veggies (onion through okra) in large (14-in) skillet until beef is cooked and veggies are tender. Add next nine ingredients (rice through black pepper) and bring to a boil. Pour into 3 qt casserole dish (if you use an overproof skillet, you can skip this step and just stick the skillet in the oven), cover, and bake at 350 until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed (45 min to one hour). Stir a couple of times while it is baking. Spread cheese over top, and bake uncovered for a few minutes more until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 main-dish servings at about 320 calories per serving.

Creole Red Snapper

• 1 lb red snapper fillets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Seasoning (or any creole seasoning; in a pinch, I'm sure Old Bay seasoning would be fine)
• 6 oz diced onion (about 1 cup)
• 9 oz diced okra (about 2 cups)
• 6 oz red bell pepper (about 1 cup)
• 3 tbsp white wine
• 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes

Rinse fish and pat dry. Sprinkle with seasoning. Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high. Add fish and cook until opaque (about 5 min). Turn and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork (several minutes more). Remove fish from pan and keep warm. Add onion and okra for pan and saute for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and continue sauteing veggies until onion and okra are slightly tender. Add white wine and tomatoes and cook until sauce is thickened. Add fish, cover, and cook until just hot.

Makes 4 main-dish servings at about 225 calories per serving.

Okra and Shrimp Curry
Also, here's recipe for Everyday Okra and Shrimp Curry that my local paper ran. Their recipes are almost always excellent. I clipped this one but haven't made it yet only because my SO doesn't eat shrimp or okra, so it would have to be a lunch for me and the calories are a little high for my lunch.