Oven-Fried Okra!
Looking for a healthy recipe to try for the Fourth of July this weekend? How about Fried Okra?! Well…oven-fried! If you are from the south like me, this is an all-time favorite! But, normally it’s super greasy and has so much breading you can hardly taste the okra. This version has way less fat, cholesterol and calories and tastes almost as good as the real thing. Try it out and you may even give Luby’s a run for their money : )
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal * Cari’s Tip: You can mix in a small amount of whole wheat flour to make it stick more.
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of ground red pepper *Cari’s Tip: For extra flavor, mix in either cayenne, cumin or even garlic.
- 1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
- 1Â large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 pound fresh okra pods, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch slices (about 3 cups) *Cari’s Tip: you can also use frozen okra which sometimes holds up better and will be more crunchy.
- Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450º.
Combine cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a shallow dish; set aside.
Combine buttermilk and egg in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add okra; toss to coat. Let stand 3 minutes.
Dredge okra in cornmeal mixture. Place okra on a cookie sheet or oven pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat okra with cooking spray. Bake at 450º for 40 minutes, stirring once. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Nutritional Information
- Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)
- Calories: 144 (4% from fat)
- Fat:0.7g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.1g)
- Protein: 4.5g
- Carbohydrate: 29.3g
- Fiber: 2.6g
- Cholesterol: 27mg
- Iron: 1.3mg
- Sodium: 204mg
- Calcium: 68mg
- *Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.
