Okra with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Nothing says spring vegetables better than asparagus and okra to me. Although both are used in the fall too! Okra is one of those things that people either love or hate. If you are a texture person, more than likely you don’t like okra. At restaurants you’ll usually see fried okra, not fresh. I wanted to give you a fresh okra recipe to switch up your sides this spring. Since I was limited when I was younger to what I could have, I’m all about variety now!

Let’s take a minute and talk about okra.

Okra

1 Cup of Okra

• 33 Calories
• 0.2 g Total Fat
• 7 mg Sodium
• 299 mg Potassium
• 7 g Carbohydrates
• 3.3 g Fiber
• 1.5 g Sugar
• 1.9 g Protein
• 38% DV Vitamin C
• 14% DV Vitamin A
• 14% DV Magnesium
• 8% DV Calcium

This vegetable is good for lowering cholesterol, maintaining a good blood glucose level, supports your immune system, and helps to promote a healthy pregnancy due to the vitamins and minerals including folic acid, that it provides. Okra has also been shown in a study to help prevent kidney disease, which is good news for those with diabetes.

On To The Recipe

Okra has been paired with tomatoes since forever, but I like using fire roasted tomatoes for the flavor. Season however you’d like but I like adding a Cajun seasoning mix to mine and fresh garlic. You can have this as a side or make it into a main dish by adding chicken breast and brown rice. If you are vegan or vegetarian, add black eyed peas or butter beans instead of the chicken. Either way, it’s a great dish!

• Servings: 6 side servings
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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil, optional
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1.5-2 lbs. raw okra, sliced
• 2 15 oz. cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1-2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Add in the yellow onion and cook until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add in your okra, canned tomatoes, and creole seasoning. Let simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes.
3. Serve as a side alone, or over rice.

Nutrition Information

Per Side Serving

114 Calories | 4.43 g total fat | 2.0 g monounsaturated fat | 1.2 g polyunsaturated fat | 0.6 g saturated fat | 0 g trans fats | 0 mg cholesterol | 328 mg sodium | 14.7 g carbohydrates | 7.5 g fiber | 6.5 g sugar | 4 g protein | 65% Vitamin C | 23% Folate | 16% Calcium | 29% Magnesium

Okra with Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Butter Beans

Yum! I just added a can of small butter beans to the mixture and heated it through and ta da! I had my dinner.

 

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Green Beans & Tomatoes with Fresh Oregano

Stewed tomatoes and green beans just go together. This is one of the side dishes I keep in mind any time of year and can go with just about anything. Simple ingredients, simple instructions, and so good! Nutritionally let’s look at the benefits of using fresh oregano. Sometimes we forget how powerful our fresh herbs are and what they bring to the table other than flavor. Fresh herbs are powerhouses of nutrients and antioxidants which is nice since we usually use a small amount of them when we cook. Here are some interesting facts about oregano, as well as many other herbs in general.

Fresh Oregano

• Powerhouse of Antioxidants – 42 times the antioxidants found in apples
• Improves Immune System
• Anti-Inflammatory
• Significant of Crucial Minerals for Bone Health

Dried herbs have their purpose in cooking, but to get the full benefit it’s always good to use fresh herbs when you can.

• Servings: 4 Servings
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Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. fresh green beans, ends snapped
• 1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium pan on medium-high heat. If you are using a non-stick pot, you can put the heat on medium and cook the onions without oil. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Toss in the green beans, tomatoes, broth, oregano, and parsley. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the green beans are at the desired tenderness. I usually wait until the green beans are a dark rich green color, like the picture, and turn off the heat.
3. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Add lemon juice and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

158 calories | 7.4 g total fat | 1.4 g saturated fat | 1.6 g polyunsaturated fat | 6.4 g monounsaturated fat | 0 g trans fat | 0 mg cholesterol | 192 mg sodium | 18.5 g carbohydrates | 5.6 g fiber | 4.6 g sugar | 4.2 g protein

Macros

47% Carbohydrates | 42% Fat | 11% Protein

Dietary Servings per Portion

3.0 Vegetables