Okra help!

lebbyloses

So I bought a package of frozen okra.

Lately I've been on a compulsive stir-fry kick, to the point where I just hit the freezer aisle of the grocery store once or twice a week and buy every risen vegetable assortment that doesn't have Lima beans (because I hate those). Tonight I truly lost my mind and bought ALL the vegetables, including a package of just okra. I like okra, but I've really only had it fried, pickled, and, once, roasted. I want to eat about 5 cups of it for under 550 calories. Can I just stir-fry it? Maybe with a sauce? Do I need to boil it as the package suggests? Won't that be slimy?

What if I threw in some nuts or even pb2? Or an egg? Things that add some protein would be good. I am not worried about fat; I find if I get enough fiber and protein in a day I tend to feel good and have at least close to my goal amount of fat. But if you have a not-protein-filled idea, that's cool. I have two other meals I can adjust accordingly.

Ideas?

vegan4lyfe2012

I'm hopping on here for ideas. I saw a bag of frozen okra when I went shopping on Saturday. Picked it up and looked at it. Then put it down and thought to myself, "You wouldn't know what to do with it."

MysteriousMerlin

The best way to serve okra is to not.

Take the bag of the offensive vegetable and toss it in the trash. I will then feel sorry for the trashcan having to hold it.

*waits for Crusher*

gunshyangel78

I love this recipe!!!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Afghan-Okra/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=okra&e8=Quick Search&event10=1&e7=Home Page

Just in case, search Afghan Okra on Allrecipes!.

Hope it helps.

Lou

Synamin

So I bought a package of frozen okra.

Lately I've been on a compulsive stir-fry kick, to the point where I just hit the freezer aisle of the grocery store once or twice a week and buy every risen vegetable assortment that doesn't have Lima beans (because I hate those). Tonight I truly lost my mind and bought ALL the vegetables, including a package of just okra. I like okra, but I've really only had it fried, pickled, and, once, roasted. I want to eat about 5 cups of it for under 550 calories. Can I just stir-fry it? Maybe with a sauce? Do I need to boil it as the package suggests? Won't that be slimy?

What if I threw in some nuts or even pb2? Or an egg? Things that add some protein would be good. I am not worried about fat; I find if I get enough fiber and protein in a day I tend to feel good and have at least close to my goal amount of fat. But if you have a not-protein-filled idea, that's cool. I have two other meals I can adjust accordingly.

Ideas?

Okra loves acid.. Make a fresh tomato sauce or add canned tomatoes or rotel if you like things spicy. Frozen okra is going to be slimy but it's less slimy if cooked in acid. Fresh okra isn't slimy at all. To add some protein, add a bit of low fat cajun chicken sausage (or shrimp or be crazy and do both) and some creole seasonings, red and green pepper, onion and celery. I call it gumbo soup.

meshashesha2012

i love love love okra, but putting it in a stir fry would be gross. cooked okra releases a mucous like consistency that's best suited for soups or dishes where the food is supposed to be more tender/mushy.

a really good dish i make with okra is with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.

- sautee mushrooms and onions to get them soft.
- add in tomatoes (i use canned diced tomatoes) , okra, chili peppers (if you like spicy) and add seasonings (thyme, coriander, cumin, jamaican style curry, salt and pepper)
- simmer until okra is cooked.
- put a little bit of freshly grated lime rind on top before serving and serve with rice or quinoa.

i'm not sure how this works with frozen okra though, i usually only use frozen okra in gumbo or another soup

ETA a poster above me stated that fresh okra doesnt get slimy and only frozen does. this isnt exactly true. the mucillage comes from the seeds and it's easier to avoid the seeds in fresh okra by leaving them out. frozen okra is pretty much just cut up as it seeds and all.

also if you cook it and decide it's too gross looking, then dont throw it away! strain it and use the liquid as a hair deep treatment. the mucillage is really good for dry hair

CrusherKun

The best way to serve okra is to not.

Take the bag of the offensive vegetable and toss it in the trash. I will then feel sorry for the trashcan having to hold it.

*waits for Crusher*

Yeah well there's your first mistake....if it ain't fresh...u r doing it wrong MM!

Ha!

CrusherKun

Deep fried okra is my fave....but fresh or nothing!

ajmalbaby

I love okra!! I use a pressure cooker when i cook it, but you can use a normal pot:
Sautee onions and tomatoes in oil, then add in tomatoe sauce or paste and stir it till it gets nice and saucy then add in all sorts of spices, i add coriander seeds, chopped green hot peppers, salt and a teaspoon of curry powder. Stir it all then add in the okra, mix so that the sauce gets all over the okra then leave on stove on low for an hour. Dont mix after that or it will get slimy. Once ready, serve with some naan bread and some salad. Bon appetite

lebbyloses

Looks like tomatoes are going to be key. Looking forward to a food adventure!

cookiekrunch

The only way to really enjoy frozen okra is with a tomato base. Diced tomatoes, turkey sausage, onions, maybe peppers or mushrooms and eat it like a soup.

DamianaKitten

I love it pan fried with a bit of walnut oil. Fresh is best on this one, though!

JenniTheVeggie

I love frozen orka simmered with canned tomatoes. Now I want some and I don't have any in the house! :grumble:

atcross

I love frozen orka simmered with canned tomatoes. Now I want some and I don't have any in the house! :grumble:

Me too. Okra and canned or fresh tomatoes in approx. equal quantities, with canned chipotle peppers is a favorite of mine. Although the last bag of frozen okra I bought I used in soup but discovered that some of the pieces were really tough and woody and completely inedible. Blech!

lynn_glenmont

So I bought a package of frozen okra.

Lately I've been on a compulsive stir-fry kick, to the point where I just hit the freezer aisle of the grocery store once or twice a week and buy every risen vegetable assortment that doesn't have Lima beans (because I hate those). Tonight I truly lost my mind and bought ALL the vegetables, including a package of just okra. I like okra, but I've really only had it fried, pickled, and, once, roasted. I want to eat about 5 cups of it for under 550 calories. Can I just stir-fry it? Maybe with a sauce? Do I need to boil it as the package suggests? Won't that be slimy?

What if I threw in some nuts or even pb2? Or an egg? Things that add some protein would be good. I am not worried about fat; I find if I get enough fiber and protein in a day I tend to feel good and have at least close to my goal amount of fat. But if you have a not-protein-filled idea, that's cool. I have two other meals I can adjust accordingly.

Ideas?

Okra loves acid.. Make a fresh tomato sauce or add canned tomatoes or rotel if you like things spicy. Frozen okra is going to be slimy but it's less slimy if cooked in acid. Fresh okra isn't slimy at all. To add some protein, add a bit of low fat cajun chicken sausage (or shrimp or be crazy and do both) and some creole seasonings, red and green pepper, onion and celery. I call it gumbo soup.

I was going to suggest something similar, although I would cook the peppers, onion, and celery in a little oil at the outset, and use a little stock or broth. And add some corn. Add as much chicken or turkey sausage and shrimp as you can to stay under your 550 calorie goal (maybe plan to make enough for two or three meals or more -- you might get a nicer balance of flavors if your let yourself add more vegetables and protein to your 5 cups of okra than you might be able to fit in for 550 calories).

A gumbo-style dish is about the only way I use frozen okra -- except for my mother's traditional frozen lima beans and frozen okra combined in one dish, but since limas were the one thing you said not to recommend, that's not going to do anything for you (but that was the dish that taught to love limas -- I always hated them in succotash).

MysteriousMerlin

The best way to serve okra is to not.

Take the bag of the offensive vegetable and toss it in the trash. I will then feel sorry for the trashcan having to hold it.

*waits for Crusher*

Yeah well there's your first mistake....if it ain't fresh...u r doing it wrong MM!

Ha!

Okra radar! Weirdo!!

SouthernMommy11

i love love love okra, but putting it in a stir fry would be gross. cooked okra releases a mucous like consistency that's best suited for soups or dishes where the food is supposed to be more tender/mushy.

a really good dish i make with okra is with mushrooms, onions and tomatoes.

- sautee mushrooms and onions to get them soft.
- add in tomatoes (i use canned diced tomatoes) , okra, chili peppers (if you like spicy) and add seasonings (thyme, coriander, cumin, jamaican style curry, salt and pepper)
- simmer until okra is cooked.
- put a little bit of freshly grated lime rind on top before serving and serve with rice or quinoa.

i'm not sure how this works with frozen okra though, i usually only use frozen okra in gumbo or another soup

ETA a poster above me stated that fresh okra doesnt get slimy and only frozen does. this isnt exactly true. the mucillage comes from the seeds and it's easier to avoid the seeds in fresh okra by leaving them out. frozen okra is pretty much just cut up as it seeds and all.

also if you cook it and decide it's too gross looking, then dont throw it away! strain it and use the liquid as a hair deep treatment. the mucillage is really good for dry hair

Sounds yummy!

phyllisbobbitt

:flowerforyou: I love okra fried with corn meal breading but not healthy! I use it in beef vegetable soup, homemade! brown ground round with onions, garlic! add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, corn, green peas, green beans, okra, diced potatoes, reduced fat beef broth, diced carrots, baby butter beans & let it simmer for a couple of hours!

VoodooAborisha

The African word for okra is "gumbo" so gumbo is the PERFECT food for okra.

There are lots of recipes around for gumbo with a bunch of meats, sausages, and shrimp or crawdads (crayfish) however the most traditional and common is vegetarian and very low calorie and low fat. The calories come in depending on how much rice you add, if any. The recipe is quick and easy.

Here is how we make gumbo in north Alabama:

stir fry some chopped onions and green peppers. [ If you want it to be really authentic, you need to add some "roux." You make this by getting a separate pan and stir-frying a few tablespoons of flour with equal amounts of oil until the flour is browned (stir constantly and don't let it burn). The addition of the roux gives the gumbo its color and thickness, so you can add as little or as much as you like. That being said, a lot of recipes don't call for roux, nor did my mama ever use it, and it still tasted great; so I'd say use it if you don't mind the 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil, but if that is not part of your calories or macros, just don't make/add any roux - if you aren't used to the traditional gumbo in Mobile or New Orleans, you won't miss it ] So stir fry the onions and peppers, make your roux if you want it, and when they are done, you can combine the pepper and onions into a pot with some vegetable broth (and the roux if you are using it). Add a can of chopped tomatoes. Add some frozen okra (and a lot of people add frozen shrimp, which I like, however it is not necessary) and simmer until cooked. Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice to taste. Serve over white rice. You can also make the gumbo into more of a soup, so you can add some extra broth to make it more watery, and put some rice into the soup, and serve as a soup, instead of the thicker version over rice.

If you go down to the coast, there will probably be a variety of seafood put in, plus possibly some spicy sausage. Here is a recipe kind of like it on allrecipes.com, however the reviewers say to use about half the water for this:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Shrimp-and-Okra-Gumbo/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=gumbo&e8=Quick Search&event10=1&e7=Home Page&soid=sr_results_p2i10

What else to do with okra? chop it, wet it, coat it in cornbread mix, and fry it in an iron skillet. But that isn't a healthy recipe, whereas the gumbo is very very healthy.

malivic

I used to make okra and beef/lamb casserole all the time. Onion, crushed tomatoes, meat and then the okra (but don't add until later on - specially if it's frozen). So you could just leave out the protein. I've never seen frozen okra!!

SutapaMukherji

This is a typically Indian recipe, but I stir fry it with some red onions and some cubed tomatoes. The spices used are a pinch of turmeric and salt. Stir frying on high flame gives it a moderately crispy texture.

Alternately, I also like boiled okra with some rice. Yes, it's slimy that way but the taste wins :bigsmile:



I guess I am among those few people on earth who love okra :ohwell:

hortensehildegarde

I was going to suggest a bhindi masala for the okra, but that's mostly just okra and tomato as well. You might check out some different bhindi masala recipes to get ideas for some seasonings though.

elsyoommen

yes +3 on the various Indian preparations for Okra. I usually make a south indian style stir fry either with or without coconut. I try to keep the heat medium high and only cover it for a very short time, otherwise it won't be crispy - but whether you like it crispy or soft is up to you. here is an example of a typical okra recipe:

http://www.archanaskitchen.com/indian-recipes/vegetables-dry/1389-kerala-vendakka-thoran-okra-stir-fry

I usually make this as a side dish for a chicken or fish curry.

eccentric88

Try making it into a curry. I found it is great then

lebbyloses

Success! I softened some onions in my huge skillet, tossed in some garlic and then added some garam masala and a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. When that had simmered a minute I mixed in the okra and added a little salt and cooked it on medium for a while. 20 minutes? More maybe? Toward the end I mixed in 3 tsps of sriracha for some kick. It was good but not great. It was also a truly massive dinner. Both filling and low in calories. Luckily the night is still young, so I have time to work up an appetite for something else. Oh, it was a little slimy but not more so than when I roasted fresh okra last summer. And most amazing? I'm at 107 percent of my RDA for iron. That's probably a first since I joined MFP in July.

mspinos

This is how we cook okra in Greece, and it is delicious: Saute 1/2 a chopped onion in a little olive oil, add the frozen okra to the pot, sprinkle the okra with some red wine vinegar, add a can of chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp dry dill, salt & pepper to taste, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, cover the pot and let it cook for about an hour. DO NOT STIR THE OKRA. You can mix the meal by picking up the pot and shaking it back and forth, but at NO time put a spoon in the pot to stir. If you do, the okra will break and become slimy.

The olive oil does add some extra calories, but they are good calories, and I suppose you can make it without the olive oil. But the olive oil gives it extra flavor.

condoleezachiapet

Simple chinese okra recipe:



Ingredients:

2 Chinese okra, skin peeled, sliced at an angle
Handful of dried shrimp, rinsed
1 small packet of glass noodles (soaked)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Light Soy Sauce, to taste

How to make it: http://www.smokywok.com/2010/01/stir-fried-chinese-okra-angled-loofah.html

kcasey155

It all sounds so yummy! I've just discovered okra and am loving it stir-fried or roasted with garlic. Now I'm gonna have to go try it with tomatoes!