Vegan Gumbo
Perfect for cold nights. Here’s a delicious vegan version of Gumbo.
First, make a roux [flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces]:
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together equal parts oil and flour over low heat. Whisk constantly until it turns milk chocolate brown, approximately 20-30 minutes. Make sure to keep whisking so it doesn’t stick to the bottom and burn.
Next, stir in the diced carrots, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add the okra, bay leaves, and vegetable stock. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add additional vegetables earlier or later depending on how long they need to cook (put butternut and cauliflower in earlier, and green beans at the end). Add spinach right before you finish.
In a separate pan, stir fry the veggie sausage or tofu until crispy. Then add to the mixture.
Finally, add a dash of filé powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Add parsley as a garnish. Serve over rice or alone.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil + oil for stir frying
- 1 cup flour
- 1 large bell pepper
- 3-4 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 2 cups okra
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 veggie sausage or a block of tofu
Other assorted vegetables:
- 1 cup butternut squash
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 cup cauliflower
- handful of spinach
Seasoning:
- salt
- pepper
- gumbo filé spice
- cayenne
- chili pepper flakes
- parsley
Liina Laufer’s Bio:
“I love to cook from scratch. I prefer simple, all natural ingredients, the fewer the better. I was raised on the sentient Margii diet, so I cook without onions, garlic, mushrooms, eggs, or meat. Check out my sentient recipes at recipesdeliina.wordpress.com.”