Okra is a member of the mallow family, which places it in the same family as cacao, hibiscus, and cotton. It’s a flowering plant, native to West Africa. Traditional belief is that it made its way to the Americas coincidentally through the slave trade.

It is a good source of fiber (3.2 g./c. raw), vitamin A, vitamins B6 and B9 (folic acid – 88 mcg./c.), vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. See vitamin notes at end of article.

Okra is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, making it beneficial in controlling blood sugar, increasing regularity while preventing hemorrhoids and constipation, and assisting with weight loss, while lowering the cholesterol absorption.

Okra is also high in mucilage, a lubricating substance that soothes internal irritations, including ulcers and sensitive stomachs while aiding in the movement of digestion waste.

When shopping for fresh okra, choose the younger pods less than four inches long. They should be moderately firm without bruises or other damage.

Okra is best stored in the refrigerator in a storage container or bag, wrapped in a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. It should keep for 3-4 days.

My favorite way to eat okra is in salads. Unlike when it’s cooked, there’s no noticable mucilage (sliminess) and it has a delicate crunch and mild flavor. I usually cut off the cap just below the line and slice them 1/4-inch thick with spring greens, tomato slices, green onions, and whatever else you like.

As with many veggies, okra should be cooked using the least amount of heat for as short a time as possible. It will keep for 3-4 days in most cooked dishes.

Nutritional benefits of Okra:

1. Fiber, soluble — dissolves in water, cannot be digested, but is transformed by fermentation in the digestive tract. Absorbs moisture to become a gelatinous substance that passes through the tract.
2. Fiber, insoluble — passes through the tract unchanged.
3. Vitamin A — aids in vision, gene transcription, immune function, embryonic development and reproduction, bone metabolism, haematopoiesis (the formation of blood cellular components), skin health, and antioxidant activity.
4. Vitamin B6 — involved in many aspects of macronutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and function and gene expression.
5. Vitamin B9 (aka folic acid) — involved in many aspects of macronutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and function and gene expression.
6. Vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid) — essential to a healthy diet as well as being a highly effective antioxidant; and an enzyme cofactor for the biosynthesis of many important biochemicals. Vitamin C acts as an electron donor for eight different enzymes.
7. Calcium — a common cellular ionic messenger with many functions, and serves also as a structural element in bone. It is the relatively high atomic-numbered calcium in the skeleton which causes bone to be radio-opaque.
8. Potassium — Potassium cations are important in neuron (brain and nerve) function, and in influencing osmotic balance between cells and the interstitial fluid.
9. Magnesium — its ions are essential to all living cells, where they play a major role in manipulating important biological polyphosphate compounds like ATP, DNA, and RNA. Hundreds of enzymes thus require magnesium ions in order to function.
Credit: Wikipedia.

I make many of the same meals my mother made but I adjust the ingredients a bit. For example my mother always uses meat in her greens and beans. Of course being married to a man who is 100% vegan,  I can’t do that plus that just adds extra cholesterol to the dish.

What I do is use nutritional yeast, butter, and Chinese mushrooms for that down home taste of my mother’s greens or beans. For every three bunches of greens I make a roux of sorts by cutting up some onions, bell peppers, and garlic and saute them in 2 tbsp vegan butter for about 2 minutes. I then add about 3 tsp of nutritional yeast and stir the mixture really fast for about a minute. I mix in 3 cups of water and let is simmer for 3 to 5 minutes before adding my greens, seasoning and vegetable broth or water. When I season I use a little chili powder, paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, and some smoke.

Now making macaroni and cheese started off as a bug challenge but I have got it together now. I make a Kraft mac and cheese boxed version and then I have my low fat soul food version. You can find the recipes for these dishes here:

Soul Food Version Macaroni and Cheese

Soul Food Version Macaroni and Cheese 2 – This one has vegan sour cream in it.

Boxed Version Macaroni and Cheese

I even make a vegan version of sweet potato pie that I call Cynthia’s Sweet Potato Pie – Vegan Style. It is pretty yummy, if I must say so myself.

Making a traditional soul food into a vegan meal is not that hard. Yes I make dressing, hoppin’ john, and more soul food  into delicious vegan dishes. And yes, many meat eaters have tried my dishes and loved them. I was a meat eater for 35 years of my life and I still do eat some on occasion, but mostly fish; so I know what it should taste like. I have gone back to the drawing board a few times to perfect my recipes and there are a few that I still am trying to perfect.I just want to encourage you by saying that you don’t have to eat fat ladened, cholesterol high soul food. You can create healthier versions of your favorite Soul Food Dishes and skip the bad stuff.

Whip up a batch of pancakes and freeze them in short stacks of three. Just a package or two of vegan sausage links is all that you needed to create this quick and economical meal idea. Thaw out a stack of pancakes. Heat up three sausages in the microwave. Wrap a pancake around each sausage.

Voila!

You’ve got an instant pig in a blanket. Eat it as you watch the last of your favorite morning show or as you walk to the bus stop. It can be eaten in the car without too much fuss or mess. For a sweeter taste and less mess, add a little maple syrup or agave nectar to the batter when makingthe pancakes.

Simple quick and healthier than the the meat alternative.

What I have come to learn is the the reason so many of us are into meat is not necessarily because of the taste but rather the texture. In the vegan world there are many ways to meet that desire for texture with the many ways we can create or purchase meat substitutes.

There are so many options for vegan meat substitutes and so many ways to prepare them.

1. Boca Burgers are not great option for burgers but for smothered “steaks”. Just make up a gravy and saute onions and garlic. Top your Boco Burger with gravy and serve over rice. You can even cut the burgers into slices and add right into the gravy to top your rice with.
2. TVP is a great option for many types of dishes Because it comes in different varieties like chicken, pork, bacon, beef, and sloppy joe there are tons of dishes you can create. The obvious are tacos, burritos, chili,stir fries, fried rice, and sloppy joes. But what about barbecue beef sandwiches, pot pies, fajitas, chowders, or “beef” stew?
3. Seitan is a great option for Ruben Sandwiches, roast “beef”, Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, and Crock pot meals.
4. Tempeh can be used much like tofu and can be added to a salad as would chicken breast.
5. Tofu is great “fish” or “chicken” sticks, stir fries, salads, and so many other options. Actually if seasoned right and the texture is great then just about any dish can be kicked up a notch with Tofu.

Truth be told all the above substitutions can be used for more than what I listed and that is the great thing about vegan foods. That are so flexible in how they can be prepared. You can even do fried “chicken with the Morning Star Chicken starters.

As you transition or venture out into the world of vegan cooking, don’t be afraid to try. Most of my best dishes were created when I went into the kitchen and just tried.

You can find out more on this subject in an extensive section on vegan meat substitutes in my e-book, Transitioning Your Family With Ease: Simple Paths to Vegan Cooking.

Cooking tofu for vegans isn?t difficult, but it is a matter of science just as any other cooking is a science. Including tofu in your diet is a good way to supplement your meals. It acts as a replacement for that which meat would normally provide, as far as essential vitamins and minerals go. Many of the non-meat products that you buy in the grocery store are actually made with tofu; that is how commonplace and important tofu is in many aspects of the Vegan diet.

Is cooking tofu imperative for Vegans? Probably not. Tofu is a soy bean product, and soy beans are packed with protein. Protein is the important part of meat that makes it so imperative in our diet, so replacing meat with tofu in your diet is a great way of keeping the protein and eliminating the dangerous animal fat. The problem with being a vegetarian lies in the dangers of not having enough protein in your diet, but tofu can help to eliminate this as a risk at all if you regularly include it in your diet as you would meat.

Many vegans out there choose not to include tofu in their diets, simply for reasons of taste. Not everybody is going to like everything and let?s face it; tofu isn?t one of the tastiest foods out there, but it can be worked with. Cooking tofu is an art. Tofu can definitely ruin a meal, but not if it?s prepared right.

It is often said that when you cook with tofu, it does not maintain a taste of its own, but it does tend to take the taste of the food it is prepared with. For example, if you were to include tofu in a Vegan tofu stir fry, it takes the taste of the noodles and soy sauce in the stir fry; if you include tofu in spaghetti, it would take the taste of the vegetables and/or the marinara sauce.

For Vegans, cooking tofu can be rather intimidating, but it doesn?t have to be. If you are considering become a Vegan, or just want to learn about cooking tofu for a Vegan you love, there are ways to learn. The internet is chock full of great recipes for tofu-cooking beginners, from the tofu spaghetti and stir-fry that was already discussed to great veggie burgers, hot dogs, and other things.

Cooking tofu for Vegans doesn?t have to be a chore, and with proper information and a bit of practice, you shouldn?t have to live with results that are less than pleasing for very long.

Kelvin Ho runs his own cooking site at http://www.pickupcooking.com Looking for tofu information and recipes? Find them here at http://www.pickupcooking.com/tofu

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