Dare to try Red Okra!

Ingredient Highlight : Red Okra


The other day I was really excited to bring to the market the first harvested red okra from our gardens! I was really disappointed when no one dared to try the red okra! Comments were : What is that ? Red okra really? I have never seen red okra before and; Where is the green okra?


Since nobody purchased it I decided to take some home. I was determined to show that red okra could be delicious. The funny thing - It was also my first time trying red okra :)

What happened as I cooked it was surprising. As the pan started to heat, the red okra started transforming to the familiar green we all know! Take a look at the pictures I took while cooking red okra.

Red Okra before cooking

Red okra after adding it to the hot pan for a couple of minutes

cooked red okra!

It was very fun to cook and it was really delicious!

The recipe I made was adapted from a recipe I found online. 

Spiced Red Okra  

This recipe is good as a side dish. Yields 3 servings. 

Ingredients 

• Red Okra 1 pint - Cut in rounds ( you could also use green okra) 
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Lime - 1/2 lime or more if you like it. 
• Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Oil - I used grape seed oil but any oil you have available should work

Instructions 

1. Heat oil in a cast iron pan add cumin seeds and fry until they start to get brown.
2. Add the okra and stir fry on medium heat about 1-2 minutes. When they start to change color add the juice of 1/2 a lime. This will take care of the slime. 
3. Add other spices and stir fry. cook for 2-3 minutes Cover the pan and let it cook for a couple of minutes ( 3-4 minutes). Open the lid and let it cook on high heat for a couple of more minutes on high heat until the okra has a green/ brown color.  Make sure to keep stirring constantly to avoid the okra from burning or sticking to the pan. 
4. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. 

Final thought : Dare to try new things you may be surprised to find whats out there!

by Rosamar Torres, Programs and Communications Manager

It's Strawberry Season! - Part 2 (Sugar-Free Strawberry Oat Bars)

Last week we talked about strawberry season in Louisiana, why those little berries are so good to eat, and suggested some recipe ideas. This week we're showing you how to create one of those recipes.

These easy to make delicious bars are sugar-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, and soy-free, sure to please almost anyone with allergies or any picky eater. Although they taste like dessert, because they're healthy you can eat them as a guilt-free snack throughout the day or even for breakfast. No sugar is needed with the dates providing sweetness. Healthy fat and protein comes from the almonds, and strawberries contribute Vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. We've provided a detailed recipe below with pictures to aid you along the way. Try them out; we promise you won't be disappointed!

Sugar-free Strawberry Oat Bars

Recipe adapted from: www.wholeliving.com

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 2 tbs rolled oats*
• 1 handful of flour*
• 1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced

*Note - You can use certified gluten-free oats and a gluten-free flour to make this recipe gluten-free as well.

Directions:

• In a food processor blend the dates, almonds, and oats together until combined. 

Make sure to use rolled oats (not quick oats) and raw almonds (not salted or roasted)

Dates, almonds, and oats coming together in the food processor

The final product consistency. The mixture should stick together when squeezed.

• Spread a small handful of flour in a bread pan so the bars are easier to get out later. 

• Spread the date mixture out in a bread pan. Press it down so it's flat in the pan and evenly distributed.

 

• Remove the stems from your strawberries. 

• Mash up 1/2 cup strawberries in a bowl. 

•  Spread this over the date/nut mix in the pan.

• Slice the remaining 1/2 cup of strawberries. 

•  Place the slices on top of the mashed strawberries in the pan.

The entire pan should be covered with slices. 

• Put the whole pan in the refrigerator and allow to chill. After about an hour take out the pan and slice into rectangular bars. Before placing the sliced bars on a plate, you may want to sprinkle some flour on it to make pick up easier. The dates make the bars a little sticky!

You can leave the bars this size or...

...cut them smaller.

For more healthy snack ideas check out Whole Living's Snacks

HEAL Project Celebrates National Nutrition Month

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Sankofa's HEAL enrichment class and after-school club have been focusing on nutrition awareness and ways for students to improve nutrition in their own lives. By providing students at a young age with the knowledge and tools they need to make healthy choices, we believe they will be more likely to make those choices throughout the life-cycle.

Our most recent classes have been about the food groups and sugar content in beverages. We utilized MyPlate (shown below) as a tool to demonstrate how students should be eating. There was a focus on eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These three food groups should comprise most of your plate. Students learned about the process of refining grains and the nutrients which are lost during processing (ie. fiber, vitamins, and minerals).  For this reason it's crucial to eat your grains in their whole form (oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa) or eat products made from whole grains (whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta) for the best nutrition. We discussed different protein and calcium sources from both plants and animals. Ample protein can come from legumes (beans + lentils), nuts, and seeds, as well as animals. Dairy is a recommended part of the diet for the calcium it contains. Dark leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, spinach) and soy products are also great sources of bone-strengthening calcium.

Sourced from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

To bring National Nutrition Month to a close, we had a Smoothie Day with the enrichment students. Prior to this class, the students learned about the high amounts of sugar in commonly consumed beverages. Highly sweetened beverages include soft drinks, most iced teas, sports drinks (Gatorade), energy drinks (Red Bull), and juice that isn't 100% fruit juice.

To show the students how to choose a healthier alternative, we helped them create one. The class was first divided into two teams.







Each team was provided with healthy ingredients from which they could choose to add to their smoothie. There were strawberries, blueberries, and bananas for them to choose from. Ice and 100% cranberry juice were also added to the smoothies to cool down the drink and add some liquid.

Bright red smoothie from the strawberry group

Deep red smoothie from the blueberry group

National Nutrition Month Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 100% cranberry juice
• 2 cups frozen strawberries (or frozen blueberries)
• 2 bananas, peeled
• 1/2 cup ice

Directions: 

• Add juice, strawberries, bananas, and ice to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Lots of fruit about to be blended

The final product about to be enjoyed!

Happy National Nutrition Month! 

Sankofa HEAL Project Receives Award by AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation!

Last week Sankofa staff, Astrazeneca HealthCare Foundation chairman Dr. James Blaseto, respected members of the community, several members of the press, and numerous HEAL club members packed into classroom 317 of ARISE Academy. The reason we hosted this gathering was for us to show the local community just what we do at Sankofa Community Development Corporation. In addition to sharing our efforts and progress with the community, we also celebrated our relationship with AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation. This is the third consecutive year we have received an award from the HealthCare Foundation. Our acceptance of this generous gift can be seen above.

Zedekiyan Morrison, HEAL participant, who is pictured below, shared her experiences as a project participant.

We were honored to have other speakers such as Dr. Daphne Ferdinand Executive Director of Healthy Heart Community Prevention Project, Dr. Denese Shervington President of Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies, and Pam Broom Board Member from The Reconciliation Institute also speak on our behalf. 

The room was filled with posters and photos of Sankofa's current and past work in the community.

Our nutrition educator, Kelly Bond, planned out the refreshment table, and with the help of HEAL club students and Sankofa staff the delicious treats became a reality. 

We offered citrus infused water to drink, which was thoroughly enjoyed by attendees. We used Meyer lemons from Rashida's lemon tree and cucumbers to give the water a unique taste.

 

Since it was a rather chilly and rainy morning, we had hot tea as well. We decided to utilize the large rosemary bush flourishing in the school's garden. 

Sprigs of the herb were added to hot water, along with hibiscus and orange tea bags (giving the drink that gorgeous color you can see below). We offered slices of lemon and local honey to top off the soothing tea. 

Because rosemary is quite healthy, Miss Kelly put together a small flyer describing the herb and explaining its health benefits to guests. 

Just as the enrichment students had enjoyed fruit kebabs during class time, we also had them for guests to enjoy at the press conference. Instead of using strawberries, this time we used local Louisiana oranges. The HEAL club kids placed the orange slices on toothpicks the day prior to the event. Very helpful!

The HEAL club also prepared the guacamole needed for the cucumber sandwiches. Since they came out so well, we've decided to share the recipe with you below! Enjoy!

Refreshing Cucumber and Guacamole Sandwiches 

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers
• 4 ripe Haas avocados
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbl cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

• First you want to prepare the guacamole, as it should sit in the refrigerator for about an hour after preparation. To begin, mash the avocados in a large bowl and squeeze the lime juice over them. Toss to coat. 
• Mash the salt and cumin into the avocado mixture. Fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. 
• Cover the guacamole tightly with plastic wrap to prevent it from browning and place the bowl in the refrigerator for one hour. 
• Slice up the cucumbers. Spread a small amount of the chilled guacamole between two slices of cucumber to create your sandwiches. Be careful not to place too much guacamole in the sandwich, if you do you'll wind up with a mess! You can stick toothpicks in the sandwiches to keep them together.
• You'll likely have some leftover guacamole, just tightly cover it with plastic wrap and stick it back in the refrigerator until you use it. Baking your own pita chips is a great way to use up any leftover guacamole!