super-food eggs – Author Della M Strickland

It’s an Okra and Eggs Breakfast Kinda Day

This may sound gross to a lot of you, BUT… I put a big BUT in here because once you try it you just might love it! Know why? Over on my Stalking Your Fresh Okra Row you can find all the great, powerhouse nutrients okra has for your body and mind. And how much fun it is to grow and stalk this super-food okra! (Smile here)

I know it’s no longer summer, but I really wanted to share one of mine and Homie’s favorite, year-round, powerhouse, breakfasts, one that is probably not for everyone, but should be!

So, without further ado, for this great, powerhouse breakfast recipe, at a glance, you will need:

4 or 5 large eggs
3 cups fresh or frozen okra—sliced
Salt
Pepper
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup coconut oil
Whisk
Wooden spoon or spatula

So let’s start this quick and easy breakfast.

Heat up your skillet (mine is stainless steel, but cast iron or non-stick will work) on medium heat until small droplets of water from your fingertips bead up in the hot pan and roll around.
If you are using frozen okra, like me here, (from Homie’s summer garden) you will need a lid for the skillet. Not for fresh okra. (You’ll understand why as we go along here.)
When the pan is hot (droplets of water beading up) put half the olive oil and half the coconut oil in. When the oils heat up, (little “waves” in the oil will appear) carefully pour the frozen okra in the hot oil and quickly clamp the lid on and give the pan a little shake back and forth so the okra doesn’t stick. I love super-foods!

RED HOT TIP: The steam this creates, trapped by the lid, will quickly thaw the okra and begin cooking it. Steam your super-food okra for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan several more times
Take the lid off and lay aside. Here, pinch the salt and pepper, to salt and pepper to taste. Here you can add other ingredients you may like. I sometimes sprinkle a pinch of dried rosemary, red pepper flakes, and even some finely diced onion for an even healthier super-food okra and egg breakfast. I have even added pre-fried sausage for some extra protein. The sky’s the limit folks! Turn the heat down to simmer and with a spatula or wooden spoon slowly sauté your super-food okra for 10 to 12 minutes until okra is tender.
If okra is fresh, not frozen, when the oil is first heated, pour in the sliced okra, season with pinches of salt and pepper, plus other ingredients of your choice. Turn your heat down to simmer and begin to sauté gently until tender; about 15 minutes or so.
RED HOT TIP: You may be able to use less oil with your non-stick or cast iron skillet. It seems to me to take more oil for my stainless steel. If anyone has any tips on this, please leave in the comments section! Would love to hear from you.
At this point, you can start another skillet for your scrambled eggs or use the same one, as I do. With my stainless steel, I have to turn my okra out onto a plate, wash the pan, and then heat it back up to keep the eggs from sticking where the okra slightly stuck to the pan. Old timey way: Growing up here on the farm/ homestead, we shoved the sauted okra to one side of the cast iron skillet, put in some extra oil (adjust to how many eggs you use), let it heat, and then poured in the whisked eggs to scramble. As we cooked the whisked eggs, we incorporated our super-food okra (we did not understand okra as a super-food back then) right into the eggs. Wah lah! All done in one pan; you might want to try your skills at this, because it does take a little skill to do it this way. With a non-stick pan, you could possibly do the same, or turn the okra out on a plate and then begin to scramble your eggs without washing the pan in between, since nothing sticks to non-stick. (pun intended! ha ha)
When my stainless steel pan is hot again (water beading up), I then put in the rest of the oils and heat them until the little waves ripple very softly and quietly across my oil.
Now whisk the eggs. You can put in a dollop of milk or half-n-half here if you like. I sometimes do. Pinch the salt and pepper to taste, whisking them in.

Pour the eggs into the hot oil. When the eggs bubble up around the edges, take your spatula and slid the eggs to one side letting the runny part run out and cover the bottom on the pan. Now, take your powerhouse, super-food okra and slid them into the cooking eggs. Slid the eggs and okra around again and begin flipping the eggs over and over incorporating the okra neatly into the eggs until the eggs look done. This only takes a minute or so. It happens very quickly.
Now you have a powerhouse, super-food breakfast of okra and eggs!

Enjoy them alone, or with butter-fried toast, which is my favorite. Eat your delicious, nutritious, powerhouse, super-food breakfast with your favorite toast, biscuits, bacon, sausage, jelly and jams. Here, Homie and I ate it alongside coffee, probiotic cabbage, and a little local honey. Since my brother has bees, I have some great, local honey! Aren’t I the lucky one, right?

This is such a great, powerhouse recipe for a great breakfast meal! Can you tell I’m kinda in love with the powerhouse, super-food vegetable called okra, that some say originated in Africa, and is a member of the hibiscus family? It is so great. Here, me and Homie ate on on my “Della” china! (Really, it’s name is “Della”.)

I would love to hear from you! So…give me a like, comment, and go to my Contact Page and leave me your email to receive more inspiration, love, recipes, and all things love! Oh, and don’t forget to go to my Shop for Love page to find plenty of inspiration, love, and ROMANCE from my books!

From my kitchen to yours, happy eating, and have fun with okra!

With love, from Romance & The Homestead,

Della.