Alert The Press: Miraculous Okra

I have an important announcement to make: This weekend, I was successful in getting my husband, Doni, to eat okra!



Are you as excited as I am? You may remember that last August, I declared my love for okra. I'll take it steamed, fried, roasted, stir fried, and especially pickled any day of the week. I'm a big fan of the flavor and texture, and I don't mind the slime at all. Doni, on the other hand, was less than enthused and wanted nothing to do with the slime.

This weekend, I tried a new technique: The fake fry. And a new ingredient: Panko bread crumbs. Check out the easy step-by-step recipe at Baked from the Heart's Baked Blog! Do you have a favorite okra recipe or a tasty strategy to trick your loved ones into eating their veggies? Share it below!

Jicama: My New Favorite Snack

Recently, I found myself at a local vegan cafe, and was pleasantly surprised when i found a pile of jicama slices next to my sandwich. I had eaten the root veggie a couple times before, but it wasn't until last week that I realized what a versatile, low cal snack it really is.

As easy as a potato to peel and slice (no fruity seeds or cores to make things complicated), 1 jicama is kind of huge--probably about the same size as my tiny head--and remarkably low calorie. In fact, 1 cup of sliced jicama is only 46 calories--a huge bang for your caloric buck. It's juicy flavor is really unique, a cross between a sweet pepper and cucumber, in my opinion.

It can be prepared in a variety of ways, including throwing it into a salad or stir frying it in place of water chestnuts. But I am most privy to eating in raw, french-fry sized sticks, sometimes plain and occasionally with some light, herbed cheese or salad dressing.

So next time I find myself in front of the tv, I'm saying no to my higher calorie chummus and crackers snack and bringing out the jicama instead. Have a favorite jicama recipe? Share it below!