Mark your calendar: Fat Tuesday is next week! To get in the Southern Belle Spirit, I made gumbo tonight! Just like the girls that order low-fat drinks at Starbucks (myself included), gumbo is high-maintenance. You will definitely need to plan ahead to make this festive dish.
Last year a guy I was dating was from Louisiana and taught me how to make gumbo from scratch — it took about six hours to make! (I was definitely not expecting that!) Don’t worry, this gumbo doesn’t take that long to make but there is a lot of prep involved and it takes about an hour to cook. On a Ragin’ Cajun note, it tastes delish and has an exotic twist! No alligator — this is vegan — but you will add in some veggies like parsnips and okra that are rarely consumed. I found this recipe in my new cookbook Everything Vegan and here is how to make it! Drape on your beads and double knot your apron — be good lookin’ and start cookin’! 🙂
Need:
.5 cup vegetable oil
.3 cup all-purpose flour
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
3 celery stalks
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen green beans
3 medium carrots
1 parsnip
1 bag frozen okra
4 cups water
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Pepper to taste
*Omnivores feel free to add shrimp, sausage or alligator to make your gumbo more hearty. 🙂
Hollyized Steps:
First, prep by chopping all your veggies — onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery and parsnip.
Now it is time to make the roux! For those of your Yankees, the roux is the base of the gumbo. Make the roux by adding oil and flour into a pot on high heat. Stir constantly for 10 minutes. The roux will be a light brown color when it is done — I couldn’t capture it since I didn’t want it to burn. Do NOT use a plastic tool because the pot and roux will be very hot. You can wear a kitchen glove to keep your arm from getting a Cajun char and burning off! 🙂
Once the roux is a light brown color, add the onions, bell peppers and celery to the pot. Keep stirring the roux and the veggies for about five minutes or until they begin to get soft.
Next add in the water and remaining veggies — carrots, green beans, okra, parsnip and diced tomatoes.
Top off with spices. Stir and cover. Let simmer on medium/low heat for about 40 minutes. I also let my gumbo simmer another 20 minutes on medium heat uncovered.
Serve the gumbo over rice and enjoy! With all the veggies in this gumbo, your dinner will be low-fat and the party be phat on Fat Tuesday!
low-fat tuesday
Ingredients
- .5 cup vegetable oil
- .3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 bag frozen green beans
- 3 medium carrots
- 1 parsnip
- 1 bag frozen okra
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- Pepper to taste
- *Omnivores feel free to add shrimp, sausage or alligator to make your gumbo more hearty.
Hollyized Steps:
- First, prep by chopping all your veggies — onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery and parsnip.
- Now it is time to make the roux! For those of your Yankees, the roux is the base of the gumbo. Make the roux by adding oil and flour into a pot on high heat. Stir constantly for 10 minutes. The roux will be a light brown color when it is done — I couldn’t capture it since I didn’t want it to burn. Do NOT use a plastic tool because the pot and roux will be very hot. You can wear a kitchen glove to keep your arm from getting a Cajun char and burning off!
- Once the roux is a light brown color, add the onions, bell peppers and celery to the pot. Keep stirring the roux and the veggies for about five minutes or until they begin to get soft.
- Next add in the water and remaining veggies — carrots, green beans, okra, parsnip and diced tomatoes.
- Top off with spices. Stir and cover. Let simmer on medium/low heat for about 40 minutes. I also let my gumbo simmer another 20 minutes on medium heat uncovered.
- Serve the gumbo over rice and enjoy! With all the veggies in this gumbo, your dinner will be low-fat and the party be phat on Fat Tuesday!
