Vegan Gumbo Mardi Gras

Hey everybody!! Hope you are all doing well, like we are over here at Blake’s In the Kitchen! So, with Mardi Gras here and Fat Tuesday fast approaching, we thought we’d take on making some vegan gumbo! Yeah buddy that’s right, a vegan gumbo. This recipe was inspired by Vegan Bowls Cookbook by Zsu Dever. So you know we had to add our BITK twist on it, and let me tell you that this was legit, an only to about an hour to make.  We were in the kitchen cutting up!! Only thing missing was a hurricane, some beads, and a second line!!  So, laissez les bons temps roule!!

Rice

2 ¼ cups veggie broth

1 ½ cups basmati brown rice

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

In a pan over medium high heat, add the oil, rice, and toasted for a couple minutes. Next add broth, salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, still covered, for another 10 minutes to finish cooking. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID! After time is up, fluff before serving.

Roux

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

6 tablespoons spelt flour

4 cups of veggie broth

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the roux is milk chocolate to dark chocolate brown. If the roux starts smoking, remove the pan from heat, stir well, and return to heat. Add the broth 1 cup at a time, whisking after the addition of each cup. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer covered until needed.

Soup

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning

12 ounces of fresh okra, cut into bite size pieces or 10-ounce bag of frozen okra not thawed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons of kelp powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 scallions, finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the bay leaves, thyme, mustard, red pepper flakes, allspice, old bay, and okra. Stir well and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, kelp powder, salt, and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are soft, about 6 - 7 minutes. Add the roux-broth mixture. Add beans and cook until the flavors are combined and soup thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.

To serve, just add a cup of soup to your bowl, place ½ cup of rice, sprinkle some scallions, and a couple shots of hot sauce and the party begin!!