Healthy Okra Recipes

This simple stew highlights two summer stars--tomatoes and okra--in a simple stew. Okra (known as gombo in much of West Africa) does especially well in a hot growing season. In this dish, it appears as both vegetable and thickener, as is typical of many of the continent's okra dishes. Serve it over brown rice.

This updated version of a traditional Southern dish recipe includes lima beans and is seasoned with lively crushed red pepper.

The classic Bloody Mary is an easy, go-to brunch cocktail meant to jolt you back into reality with spice and booze after a late night out. "Hair of the dog" is a tried-and-true treatment for those droopy-eyed mornings, but spike your Bloody Mary with a lively jumble of these cider vinegar pickles for a real cure-all that will open those eyes. Green cherry tomatoes are especially fun in this mix because they end up looking like green olives.

In this dish, one of the myriad Creole variations on white rice, the okra is steamed, not boiled, and has none of the gummy properties for which it is known. Frozen okra may be substituted. Partially thaw it before slicing and add it directly to the boiled rice in the colander before steaming. There is no need to brown it.

Colorful red bell pepper and thinly sliced okra add an exciting element in this cast-iron skillet cornbread recipe. Serve the cornbread in wedges alongside chili, baked beans or barbecued chicken or pork.

Comfort food with a Southern accent, this dish was inspired by our friend, Jimmo, who ate it growing up in South Carolina. Serve over brown rice or Quick Cheese Grits.

These awesome habanero-spiced pickled okra are the perfect crunchy treat to turn anyone on to the beauty of this underappreciated vegetable.

The fire of the grill creates a tender texture while infusing the okra with subtle heat in this easy okra recipe. You can adjust the level of spiciness in this side dish by choosing chiles that are either tame, incendiary or anywhere in between.

This dish puts other healthy leftover turkey recipes to shame. Chef Hugh Acheson puts his unique spin on gumbo by mixing untraditional spices like allspice and coriander with must-have thyme and filé powder. Also called gumbo filé, filé powder is the finely ground leaves of the sassafras tree; look for it in well-stocked supermarkets or online. Serve the gumbo over rice and don't forget to pass the hot sauce.

You may not think to combine olives and okra, let alone throw olives in your pickle jar. But trust: get your hands on the nicest okra possible and tuck it in a jar with briny olives, summer basil and a mean pickling liquid--you'll see what the fuss is about with this quick preserve. Speaking of pickling liquid, this recipe calls for rice vinegar, which has less than 5% acidity--the minimum for safe canning--so these pickles are for the refrigerator only. Chop and scatter them over roast chicken, toss into salads, spoon onto cheese plates or eat 'em straight from the jar.

A taste of summer, Louisiana-style. Serve this zesty sauté with grilled chicken or fish. When fresh corn is not in season, substitute frozen.

For this revamped, lower-fat Creole gumbo recipe, the flour is browned in a Dutch oven without butter or oil. To keep the fat further in check, we opt for smoked turkey sausage.

Enjoy the flavors of Louisiana Cajun cooking with this lightened-up version of the famous shrimp and rice dish.

This salad marries the flavors of cooked and raw ingredients, celebrating the wide array of produce that is grown and harvested at OtraCosa, a small communal farm in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and on neighboring farms.

Lean chicken breast and a small amount of spicy andouille sausage along with okra and plenty of other vegetables are at the heart of this version of gumbo. With significantly less fat and sodium plus loads of vegetables, you can feel good about eating this Cajun gumbo any day of the year.