I’ll admit that one of my votes for my “most feared veggie” had to go to okra. But silly me, I had never even cooked or eaten it!
Okraphobia. Maybe it’s the word okra, maybe it’s the absence of an okra aroma, maybe it’s the pointed reptilian-like shape, or maybe it’s those scary round slimy seeds that ooze out of the okra flesh. Okra made me cringe. But I successfully dreamed up three yummy recipes that will turn the haters into lovers. Including me.…And it doesn’t hurt that okra is so healthy.
My Okra Recipes (all vegan):
I Love Okra! Folded Corn Cakes
Sweet Okra Corn Bread
Okra Burger Crunchy Slaw Salad
Click ahead for the recipes…
I Love Okra. Here are three delicious recipes using okra. I’m an okra convert!
The Peanut (Okra-lovers) Gallery. Luckily, I received a lot of great ideas from my blog-readers about their favorite ways to prepare okra: okra gumbo, deep fried okra, boiled okra, stewed okra and tomatoes and even okra casserole. But fried okra was the most popular method. Go figure. Not exactly a healthy cooking method, but I kept an open mind. I decided to listen to the okra-experts and do a skillet recipe, as well as a salad with some SoyBoy brand Okra Burgers I found at Whole Foods Market. And even a cornbread recipe for a sweet side. My feat proved successful, and I’m happy with the results. And FYI, please feel free to modify the ingredients to suite your dietary needs.
RECIPE #1
I Love Okra! Fold over Corn Cakes
vegan, serves 2-3
7 medium sized Okra, thinly sliced
1 small sweet onion, Vidalia
1 scallion
6 cloves of garlic
1 lemon, juiced
6 tablespoon vegan butter
¾ cup soy milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 cup stone ground corn flour
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-2 vegan cheese singles, jalapeno jack flavor
salt
pepper
Maple Mayo
4 tablespoon Veganaise
2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Prep: thinly slice okra, discard stems.
thinly slice scallions. Slice onions into thin rounds.
Thinly slice garlic cloves.
Veggies: Combine okra, scallions, garlic, 4 tablespoon lemon juice. red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Mix well. Allow a few minutes to marinate.
Mayo: Mix ingredients for maple mayo together. Store in fridge until ready for use.
Batter: Corn Flour, canola oil, soy milk, 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
In a hot frying pan, add butter- about 2 teaspoon per cake. You can also use more or less according to your taste and frying skills.
When surface is hot, add veggies for one cake serving. About 3-4 tablespoon uncooked.
Saute on high until edges begin to brown.
Push veggies to center of pan to form a loose circle.
Add batter to pan for one cake. Pour evenly over veggies.
Turn pan to spread batter evenly over veggies.
Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, until edges brown, bubble and crisp.
Add cheese and sliced Vidalia onions – and any additional filling.
Fold over cake and flip as needed to cook to your desired crispness.
Cake will be delicate so flip with care.
Repeat for each additional corn cake.
Garnish plate with parsley, fresh herbs, paprika and mayo drizzle.
RECIPE #2
Sweet Okra Corn Bread (two versions)
vegan, 1 loaf
Version#1: Prepare the cornbread with no okra in the batter. Then add a garnish of Okra Syrup: recipe below.
Version #2: Below, prepare the cornbread with okra in the batter.
2 cups whole grain corn flour
4 tablespoon softened vegan buttery spread
¼ cup agave or maple syrup
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup Okra: pan-toasted okra (sauteed in olive oil, salt and black pepper).*
*You can also add garlic, onion, shallots, bell pepper or corn to this veggie saute.
In large mixing bowl:
Add flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne.
Stir in remaining liquid ingredients until batter is smooth and creamy.
Fold in okra.
Pour into 8 inch circle baking pan. Top with a drizzle on agave syrup and swirl into batter. Add a few okra slices to top of bread for garnish.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until the edges crisp up.
Serve with honey butter or a nice spicy sweet jam.
Version #1: If doing the first version, garnish with this recipe for Okra Syrup. Okra is great for jams and syrups because its natural stickiness makes a crazy sticky drizzle reminiscent of honey.
Okra Syrup:
small amount for drizzling
2 Okra spears, sliced thin
3 tablespoon vegan butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon Agave or Maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Heat all ingredients on high for 4 minutes. Allow to slightly cool before drizzle-ready.
RECIPE #3
Okra Burger Crunchy Slaw Salad
vegan, serves 1
1 Soy Boy Okra burger, vegan
1 cup of Kathy’s Vegan Cole Slaw
¼ cup of Okra Saute
Okra Saute:
½ cup chopped okra
1 teaspoon vegan buttery spread
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon lemon juice
sprinkle red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
saute on high for 2-3 minutes.
Okra burger: heat in microwave for 45 seconds, or saute in skillet.
Slice into small triangle pieces.
Assemble salad:
Pour slaw into bowl. Top with hot okra saute. Top with triangles of Okra burger.
Drizzle a light dressing or enjoy as is! Goes great with the maple mayo dipping sauce from recipe #1
Wow! That’s a lot of okra! I hope one of these recipes makes you learn to love okra just as much as i do not.
…now eventually I have to work on some I love eggplant recipes. That’s going to be tough!
