Calorie question...
 

Ok, so my husband's been doing really well, but with our grilled chicken tomorrow night he's got a craving for fried okra (we're from Texas...he's eaten it since he had teeth).

I'm not talking the heavily breaded, deep-fried stuff. I'm talking fresh okra cut up, sprinkled with cornmeal and pan fried in some olive or canola oil (2-3 tablespoons max).

Not sure, though, how to count the calories. I don't THINK pan-frying is AS bad as deep frying...but all the counts I see are for deep fried and breaded okra.

Any ideas? Should I just count the okra, cornmeal and calories for the oil separately? If so...how much for the oil?

Just a quick addition...I'm also considering trying to convince him that I can BAKE the okra, cut out the oil and have it be just as crispy and good...anyone ever try THAT?

I usually just tot up the calories separately for what I know I ate. If all the oil is gone from the pan, then count all the oil (and at 120 cals /tbsp it adds up!).

I'm with Heather. Measure everything out for the recipe so you know the total for the whole thing and then divide it by the serving when its done cooking. Can you use Pam spray to cut calories or will that effect the crispiness? I've only ever had okra breaded and deep fried and ooooooh boy I'm glad I don't live in the south or I'd be in trouble!

I made breaded chicken recently by using the pam trick. I put foil on the bottom of my casserole dish and sprayed it with Pam.
Breaded the chicken with a small amount of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and than sprayed the tops with Pam as well.

It came out really good! Not as crispy as it would with pan frying, but still tasty.

You'll have to let me know if you try it and it works. Another southerner here that would love some light versions of old favorites. (mmmm fried green tomatoes!)

FGT? Omg, this thread just became a binge trigger! LMAO!

Oven "frying" is possible
 

Yeah, this is an Alabama girl saying oven "frying" is possible. We had a garden for the first time last year and the green tomatoes were calling my name:(. So, I had to figure it out. I lightly battered them in corn meal, sprayed the pan as well as the tops with PAM(organic olive oil), then I put them under the broiler on the top rack. Now, for okra u will have to come up with ur cooking time by using trial and error but the tomatoes were 450 at 6 minutes then flip!!:D It really is possible!!;)

Well, I'm baking mine in the oven. He thinks it won't work, so he'll be wasting calories on oil....but when I'm eating dessert in front of him he'll regret it.

Another southern girl weighing in here --- okra cooks fine in the oven (broil it) you can't pam the pan and fry it though, it just doesn't turn out right. You've got to put actual oil in the pan to fry it.

The only problem I might have with the oven is that the okra was fresh in the summer, cut up, covered in cornmeal then frozen. So it'll be coming straight from the freezer and into the oven. May or may not cook right at all. It DOES cook fine in oil, of course, but not sure about an oven...

oil in the oven on frozen food? That might be a very bad combo....

I'm anxiously awaiting the results report...
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I really have a craving for okra now.

No oil in the oven...just nonstick spray and high heat :)

Update!

I put the okra (in cornmeal....NO egg or anything) on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Baked in a single layer at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, then flipped them and baked in 10 minute increments, checking between, until they were as done as I liked them. They were crunchy and good!!

In fact...my husband tried one and liked it BETTER than his pan-fried okra with oil. Ha ha ha . Score one for me!

Victory! Another healthier alternative to an old favorite :)