Gumbo

last night I made gumbo for dinner. I haven't made gumbo in ages, but the Llama Papa and I were talking about okra, (he loves it with Indian spices and tomatoes, the Llama loves it plain, but it's so slimy the only way I can eat it is in gumbo) and I really started craving gumbo.

I looked up a bunch of recipes online, mashed them around a bit and came up with this:



Super yummy

Vegie Gumbo

1/2 C Canola Oil
3/4 C Flour

1 Lg onion
4 cloves garlic
3 celery stalks
1 gr. pepper
1 red pepper

1 (28 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 lb bag frozen sliced okra
1 pkg (soy boy brand) smoked tofu - sm dice or one package of extra firm tofu, frozen and then thawed and drained.
1 sweet potato - sm dice
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans

2 qt veggie broth

2 bay leaves
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp file powder
1 tsp each thyme, oregano, basil
1/2 tsp jalapeno powder (or 1/4 tsp cayenne)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

*****

Heat the oil in a non stick stock pot, add the flour and stir well, continue stirring and cooking over med heat until roux is slightly lighter than a penny. (this page: http://www.southerngumbotrail.com/roux.shtml calls it a mahogany roux)

Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes; add peppers, celery and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent.

Add stock, spices and the rest of the ingredients. Cook at a low simmer for two hours.

Serve over rice.