Cooking with KP: Mother's Okra, Corn and Tomatoes

Mother's Okra, Corn and Tomatoes

About to go to Foley, AL, to the farmer's market. I plan on purchasing some okra to make this recipe. When I was away at college, my mother always made this for me when I came home. It is one of my favorite things in this world.

3 cups fresh okra, cut into rounds or you can use frozen round pieces of okra

2 cups of whole kernel corn, fresh, frozen, or canned (drain if canned)

2 cans of diced tomatoes (You can also use half canned and half fresh soft tomatoes. It is a good way to get rid of tomatoes before they go bad)

3 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces

1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons of parsley flakes

1 tsp. pepper (You can also had a couple of dashes of Hot Sauce, if you like it spicy)

1/4 tsp. salt (canned tomatoes will provide salt as well)

1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar (it helps keep the okra from being slimy)

1 bay leaf
a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce

In large pot, cook bacon for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Add onions and bell pepper and saute until slightly soft. Add all other ingredients and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes. This is excellent, healthy, and low in calories (you can eliminate the bacon and use olive oil to reduce calories even more).

1 comment:

CallieAugust 1, 2010 at 8:32 AM
I wrote this one down and cannot wait to try it!
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Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

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Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

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Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.