Ingredients

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen whole okra, thawed*
• Peanut oil

Preparation

1. Place pecans in an even layer in a shallow pan.
2. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally.
   Process pecans, baking mix, and next 2 ingredients in a food processor until pecans are finely ground. Place pecan mixture in a large bowl. Add okra, tossing to coat. Gently press pecan mixture into okra.
3. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet; heat to 350°.
4. Fry okra, in batches, turning once, 5 to 6 minutes or until golden; drain on paper towels.

*1 (16-ounce) package frozen cut okra, thawed, may be substituted.

Note

For testing purposes only, we used Bisquick Original All-Purpose Baking Mix.

Ingredients

• 1 pound. fresh green beans (thin beans preferred, but any type will work)
• 6 shallots, peeled, and cut into thin slivers
• 5 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 3 Tablespoon s olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Trim ends from green beans. If using thin, long beans, cut in half crosswise into pieces about 2 inches long. Peel and cut shallots and garlic, then place with beans in plastic bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to toss until beans, shallots, and garlic are well coated with oil.
2. Spray roasting pan with nonstick spray or mist with olive oil, then arrange the vegetables in a single layer. (I like to cover the pan with foil, then spray the foil for even easier clean-up.) Roast 12-15 minutes for thin beans, or slightly longer for regular beans, until beans are slightly shriveled, and shallots and garlic are lightly browned.
3. While beans cook, toss together chopped parsley, chopped pecans and lemon zest. When beans are done, toss hot beans with parsley/lemon/pecan mixture and serve immediately.