The Princess and The Frog: Swamp-Bottom Gumbo

In Honor of Disney's movie The Princess and the Frog, I have been inspired to create a gluten-free vegetarian gumbo. Our recipe is loosely based on the two recipes below.

Gluten-Free Chicken Gumbo - Recipe for Gluten-Free Chicken Gumbo

Quick Vegetarian Gumbo | WholeFoodsMarket.com

Swamp-Bottom Gumbo ( movie pun..LOL)

I tried to be as authentic as possible and use a roux. *Reminder- this recipe requires a lot of time and patience, if you want quick and easy gumbo, use the whole foods recipe with the same ingredient *

(Note: This recipe is very flexible, if your not allergic to meat/chicken/seafood, add at step 3)

Ingredients-

Roux-

1/2 cup of grapeseed oil ( tid bit- why grapeseed oil? It has many wonderful qualities: it's great for cooking at high heat, it's lighter then olive oil, while it also has the same health benefits, and it goes well with meat/seafood)

1/2 cup of brown rice flour or sweet rice flour

The Rest-

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 cup of chopped green onions

1 cup of frozen bell peppers ( 1/2 cup can be used- I really love peppers so I added extra)

8-10 oz package of frozen sliced okra

1 can of cannellini beans

1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes

2 minced cloves of garlic

3- 4 cups of veg. stock

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

last by not least Tabasco sauce- ( Chipotle Tabasco sauce was used, but any other variety works too)

3 cups of brown rice

Preparation: ( Is the same as Gluten-Free Chicken Gumbo - Recipe for Gluten-Free Chicken Gumbo)

*To make the roux*

Combine the oil and flour in a heavy stockpot. Over medium heat, whisk continually until the mixture turns a deep caramel color. Stir continually and remove from heat as soon as the mixture turns a deep caramel color like in the photo above.

( time: 20-30 mins)

After:

Step 1- Add chopped onions, celery, bell pepper and green onions and return to medium heat. Stir until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 2- Put the okra in a heavy skillet and stir, over medium heat until not "ropey", about 15 minutes. (The ropes are clear strings of natural mucilage which make okra an excellent thickener). Remove from heat.

Step 3- Add the veg. stock, beans, chopped tomatoes, okra, seasonings and garlic to the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

To serve, place 1/2 cup cooked rice in bowls and add gumbo. Garnish with a few drops of Tabasco.

Viola ! As Tiana's father said .."good food warms you heart and soul". That definitely holds true when it comes to this gumbo.