Vegetarian Cajun Gumbo Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the frozen okra in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, breaking up any large clumps, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, until cooked through and just starting to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• As okra roasts, prepare the roux: Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. (Either vessel will help evenly distribute the heat for a better roux.) If using vegetable oil, simply heat over medium. Using a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix the flour into the fat. Stir continuously, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so the roux does not burn (a burned roux cannot be saved), until the roux transforms from pale to peanut butter to a rich cinnamon color, about 7 minutes. Remove the roux from the heat and set aside. (Pull the pot from the heat just as the desired color is reached; the retained heat will continue to cook the roux slightly.)
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and bell pepper, and cook until softened, another 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Lastly, add the Creole and Old Bay seasonings, and stir so that they coat the vegetables and are lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the diced tomatoes, stock and lentils. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to a light simmer. Cover and allow the lentils to cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. (Add more water or stock if needed.)
• Add the okra and cook uncovered until softened, another 5 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, and the liquid smoke, if using. Give the cooled roux a good stir and add it to the pot, making sure to mix it in thoroughly, then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, creole seasoning or hot sauce, if desired. Serve warm over white rice or quinoa.

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, 3 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.
• Add the soy sauce and paprika and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then cover and bring to a boil.
• Add the greens and black-eyed peas to the pot. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the rice, if desired.

Steps:

• Place the greens in a large soup pot with enough water to just cover the greens. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water.
• On a cutting board, coarsely chop the greens and set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk 1/4 cup oil and the flour together and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is a dark reddish-brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• In the large soup pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions, bell pepper, celery, and tomatoes for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.
• Add the hot sauce, bay leaves, file powder, cayenne, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the roux, vegetable or faux chicken broth, and the reserved greens-cooking water, stirring well to blend in the roux.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the cooked collard greens, okra, kidney beans, and rice and cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves and serve warm.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wide casserole or big frying pan and fry the chicken for a few mins to brown. Tip out onto a plate. Add the onion to the pan with 1 tbsp more oil and fry for 5 mins until almost softened. Add the celery and fry for another 2 mins, then tip out to join the chicken. Add the remaining oil, bay leaves and flour to the pan and cook into a paste. Carry on cooking, stirring constantly (with a splash of water if you need), until golden brown, then stir in the spices for 2 mins.
• Gradually stir in the stock until smooth and saucy. Return the chicken and veg to the pan, along with the peppers, cover and simmer gently for 15 mins. Stir in the ham, cover and simmer gently for 10 mins more. Check for seasoning, then serve, sprinkled with the spring onions mixed with the chopped parsley.

Steps:

• Heat oil over med. heat in a large pot until warm.
• Add garlic and saute briefly.
• Add peppers, stir well.
• Cook another 4 min, then add tomatoes, beans, seasoning, and sausage.
• Bring to a boil (you may need to add 1/2-1c. water now) and add rice.
• Cover and simmer 15 minute.
• Add okra and simmer another 10 minute or until rice is cooked.
• Serve with hot sauce on the side.

Steps:

• In a medium pot, whisk together oil and flour to combine. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until mixture is the color of butterscotch, about 10 minutes.
• Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until vegetables soften, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and Creole seasoning; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Stir in broth, okra, squash, and peas. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with scallions.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to broil.
• Arrange the serrano, banana, and jalapeno chile peppers on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Watch carefully and broil just until the skins blacken and blister, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the peppers and continue broiling until all sides are blackened. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a sealed paper bag to steam. After 15 to 20 minutes, remove peppers from the bag and peel off the crispy black skin. Remove stems and seeds from the peppers, coarsely chop, and place in a bowl.
• Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled over the oil just begins to bubble. Whisk in the rest of the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is well blended and dark brown, about 20 minutes. Once it becomes dark brown, remove the roux from the heat.
• Place 2 tablespoons of canola oil into a deep soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is just about to smoke, stir in the celery with half of the onions and bell peppers. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender and the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth into the pot. Cover, and simmer until almost all the liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir the serrano, banana, and jalapeno chile peppers, along with the uncooked bell peppers and onions, garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika file powder, into the cooked bell peppers and onions. Stir the roux and 1 cup of stock into the vegetable mixture until the roux dissolves. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet potato, parsnip, red beans, black-eyed peas, okra, and remaining stock. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.