Vegetarian Gumbo

Although gumbo traditionally features a mix of chicken, sausage and shrimp, this vegetarian version is equally hearty with its plethora of veggies and savory spices. This recipe comes to us from Rini of Healing Tomato.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Roux

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp of flax seed meal (optional)

The Vegetables

• 1 cup of red onions (finely chopped)
• 3 stalks of celery (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 1 green bell pepper (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 1 yellow squash (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 cups okra (frozen)
• 2 cups French cut green beans (frozen)
• 1/2 cup corn (frozen)
• 1 can of black eyed peas
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 4 cups of water
• 3 tsp of tomato paste
• 4 tsp of your favorite hot sauce (optional)

The Spices

• 3 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 3 tsp of cumin powder
• 2 tsp of dried basil
• 2 tsp of dried oregano
• 2 tsp of dried parsley
• 2 tsp of dried rosemary
• 2 tsp of black peppers (whole)
• 3 tsp of salt

For serving

• 3 cups of cooked brown rice

Directions:

Prepare the roux first
Take a large and heavy-bottom pan
Heat it for 20 seconds at medium heat and then add the oil
Add the flour
Stir constantly to make sure that it doesn’t burn. When the color of the roux is dark brown, add the flax seed meal
Stir for another 45 seconds
Add the Celery, onions, bell pepper and squash
Turn the heat to high and let the vegetables cook well. Stir constantly.
When the vegetables turn soft, add the remaining ingredients in the order listed above
Add the spices also
Stir well and then cover
Turn the heat to low and let the vegetarian gumbo cook on its own
Stir occasionally to make sure that it is not sticking at the bottom.