Plain and Simple

• Salt and pepper with a splash of lemon simply seasons okra. Add salt to the boiling water. Drain the okra and adjust the seasonings by adding more salt, freshly ground pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. For a change of flavor, use lime, orange or grapefruit juice. Butter adds calories but also sublime flavor. Another option is to use olive oil instead of butter and dried crushed basil, oregano or marjoram for an Italian touch.

Spice It Up

• Cajun and Creole cooking use okra as a go-to vegetable. Okra is somewhat of an acquired taste because it leaves a gelatinous feel in the mouth which can be interpreted as slimy by some. That gelatinous characteristic thickens gumbos, soups and stews. Spice up the boiled cut okra with red pepper flakes, hot sauce or chopped jalapeno peppers. Another idea is to make a sauce for the okra from mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt. Add in seafood chili sauce, oriental sweet chili sauce or chopped pickled hot peppers.

Various Vegetables

• Raw celery adds crunch to boiled okra. Amp up the celery flavor with a good pinch of celery seeds. Another alternative is to dress the okra with sauteed onions combined with finely chopped parsley and a bit of cooking oil. Or you could combine the okra with fresh chopped tomatoes. The sweetly acidic flavor of the tomatoes complements the okra. Use yellow, orange and red cherry tomatoes for a colorful as well as flavorful dish. Heat the boiled okra with the tomatoes until the tomatoes just release their juices.

Frittered Away

• Fritters are usually made with raw okra but they don't have to be. Use drained and patted dry, cut boiled okra instead of raw. Combine with flour, beaten egg, salt and your choice of black pepper, garlic or onion powder, dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Drop the mixture by spoonfuls into hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Another option is to switch out the flour for cornmeal to make hush puppy okra fritters.