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Why do so many people turn up their noses when they hear the word okra? Growing up in the south, I ate okra as often as say someone in Georgia might eat a peach. Being someone who can at times gravitate to the extreme, I was also the kid who, when enjoying a bowl of Burgoo (am I getting too country for you now), used to pick out all of the okra to devour first. However, I find people from other parts of the country either have never heard of okra or have an unexplained aversion to it.

I introduced Kenya and Chloe to this exquisite green vegetable, a very good source of Vitamins A, C, and K, right when they started eating solid foods and now I’ve got two okra lovin’ kids. We usually enjoy it prepared simply, steamed as a side dish, but when I made these okra fries and served them up with a little marinara sauce on the side for dipping, the kids looked at me like I truly had reinvented the wheel (and improved on it)! My 2 year old, Chloe, likes to pull the okra out of the crust and eat both parts separately (it is hilarious to watch) while the rest of us like to just dip and leave our “fries” intact. Crunchy on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside, these Okra “Fries” are delicious, a healthier alternative to real fries because there is no actual frying involved and a great way to get your family to eat one of my favorite veggies — with no upturned noses!

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Okra Fries

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Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 1 Lb Whole Okra
  • 1/3 Cup flour
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • 1 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Cup italian breadcrumbs or panko

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 F.
  • Make an “assembly line” by placing the flour in one bowl, the eggs in a second bowl, and the salt and breadcrumbs in a third.
  • Roll the okra in the flour and pat to remove excess flour.
  • Dip the flour-coated okra in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Dip in the egg again and roll into the breadcrumbs once more to double coat the okra.
  • Place okra on a cookie sheet sprayed or greased with olive oil. When all the coated okra is on the sheet, spray again to lightly coat.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 820mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. […] 01: Roasted Okra (via Key Ingredient) // 02: Egyptian Sweet and Sour Okra (via Biscuit Batches) // 03: Okra Fries (via Weelicious) […]

  2. […] Fried Okra versus Raw Okra: Have a battle of the okra, serving fried next to raw so that kids can experience both. Serve with corn chip chicken tenders to offer a familiar face on the plate as well. […]

  3. This seemed like a really great recipe! Except… I don’t know if it’s something with the okra I used, but it did not turn out well. I used Panko instead of breadcrumbs. Probably due to baking, the “fries” came out very chewy and hard to bite into. Next time around I’ll just go with the breadcrumbs and the not-so-healthy way of cooking it by frying it. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

  4. Is the okra whole? I am planning to make this tomorrow, but was wondering if it needed to be sliced or anything first. Tops cut off? Thanks so much.

  5. Tried the recipe today and my family loved it. To help ease the mess, we put the flour and the breadcrumbs in sandwich bags so my little one could just shake the okra in the bag. Worked great.

  6. Grew up eating okra breaded and fried in Wyoming! Now, with my own little one, I love any recipe that recreates my childhood favorites in a healthier way!

  7. I grew up in the South too – LOVE okra – my hubby who is California born and bred has acquired a taste for it too – now to get my 19 month old to LOVE it as much as I do. Hopefully this recipe will do the trick…

  8. I love okra! A lady told me at the farmer’s market that I can grill them! I went ahead and sliced the top off and cut them in half, season with salt and pepper and drizzle it with olive oil then throw them on the grill and it was fantastic!

  9. Can’t wait to try this recipe as I have tons of okra in my garden and am running out of new ideas for it. Luckily my daughter will eat okra in any form!

  10. Sounds yummy! I love okra and so does my 2 year old! I’ve been going nuts with it at the farmer’s market and can’t wait to get more this week. It’s a good pregnancy craving!

  11. I love okra! What’s a good substitute for egg in this recipe? We’ve got egg allergies. Thanks!

  12. Okra is plentiful at our farmer’s market right now and my oldest is always begging me to make some. I honestly rarely do because I just don’t have that many good recipes using it. I will try this out after we hit up our local market this weekend.

  13. My parents are from the south so I love okra, especially fried 🙂 but I have a hard time finding it fresh in Arizona. This recipe has put me on a hunt to find some fresh slimy okra!

  14. what if I want to use frozen okra, how do i go about that? Any other dishes/ideas with okra? I hear it has a lot of good benefits.

  15. My husband is from the south and LOVES fried Okra, but living in San Francisco I am so far from knowing how to do it…I’m going to surprise him with this this week! Thanks!

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