Week 2: Garden Gumbo

I know, I know. It's Friday, not Tuesday. But sometimes life gets in the way. I'm sure not even that Tuesdays with Morrie guy visited Morrie every Tuesday.

So this week I made Garden Gumbo courtesy of Susan Voisin and Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. This dish has all the spicy enticement of a traditional Cajun gumbo without the meat.

What to Use

2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green or yellow pepper, chopped (I used green.)
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
8 ounces eggplant or other vegetables, diced*
1 pound sliced okra, fresh or frozen (I used frozen.)
1 16-ounce can chickpeas -- (drained)
1 teaspoon salt -- (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper -- (or to taste)
1-3 teaspoons Tabasco (I used 2.)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (or chipotle chile powder to taste)
(I used 1 full teaspoon of mesquite flavored liquid smoke. This is the first time I ever used liquid smoke and let me tell you - it is mmm mmm good.)
2-3 cups additional broth or water
(I only added a 1/2 cup of additional broth.)

What To Do

In a small skillet, toast the flour over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is a uniform tan color, about the color of whole wheat flour. (If you use whole wheat flour for this, it will of course be darker.) Be very careful not to burn it. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

(This is something I never tried before - in fact I never even thought of trying it. Quite frankly I'm not sure why the flour has to be toasted. If anyone with more cooking experience knows why, please explain!)

Spray a large non-stick pot lightly with olive oil, and sauté the onions, pepper, and celery over medium-high heat. When the vegetables begin to get brown, add the garlic and browned flour and stir to combine. Add the vegetable broth and tomatoes, stir, and add all the remaining ingredients. The gumbo should have enough liquid to resemble a chunky soup; if it is too dry, add some more vegetable broth or water. Cook for at least 30 minutes, until the flavors have a chance to mingle.

(These instructions are very easy to follow, so there isn't much to add. I will tell you that I boiled the gumbo for a bit longer than 30 minutes to make sure all the vegetables were suitably softened.)

Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.

(I used basmati rice left over from last week because it was the only rice I had. It blended well with this dish.)

*If you use softer vegetables like zucchini or summer squash, add them after the gumbo has cooked for 15 minutes; adding them earlier will make them mushy. Carrots, eggplant, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and other longer-cooking vegetables can go in with the okra and other ingredients.


Cooking Time

Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you - this recipe was very easy to prepare. The most time consuming part of the process is chopping the vegetables, but once everything goes into the pot all you have to do is stir occasionally. It took me about 50 minutes to make this from start to finish. Not bad at all.

What I Liked About It

Like all gumbos, one of the best things about this one is the wonderful variety of ingredients. It has flavorful everyday favorites like tomatoes, onion and garlic. It has chick peas and okra. All these tastes and textures blend seamlessly together in a Cajun stew spiced with thyme, Tabasco, smoky mesquite and bay leaves. Although the recipe suggests removing the bay leaves, I recommend leaving them in the pot even when you store it. Because gumbo is one of those dishes whose flavor seems to enhance a day or two or three after all those diverse ingredients come together.

What I Didn't Like

After two days of eating the gumbo (I actually made it yesterday), I can't think of much I don't like about it. It's really quite delicious and it's simple to make. My only warning to you is that this recipe produces a massive quantity of gumbo - probably enough to feed my husband and I for a week. I even packed up three big helpings to share at work, and there is still enough gumbo left for the weekend. So if you don't know if you like gumbo, you'd better cut the recipe in half - unless you are feeding an army...of Cajuns.

Conclusion

You should definitely try this recipe, especially if you are a gardener who is capable of growing many of these ingredients in your own back yard. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the fruits and vegetables of your labor than in a big, bubbly, spicy pot of garden gumbo. Yum.

No Hurry Vegetable Curry: Spicy-Bland

Many days have passed since the No Hurry Vegetable Curry filled our house with the earthy aromas of curry and basmati rice. Yum. I'm sorry to report I was not thrilled with this dish. It seemed like something was missing.

What I Liked About It

This dish was very easy to prepare. The slow cooker does most of the work. I would say total prep-time was 20 minutes for vegetable chopping and onion sauteing.

I also rather enjoyed the sumptuous aroma of simmering curry. It created a third-world mood in the house that excited my adventurous side.

What I Didn't Like

Generally when one tastes a curry dish with a coconut milk base there is an underlying sweetness to counter the spiciness. Although in this dish the spices were not overwhelming - in fact they were a bit understated - a general lack of sweetness made the flavor almost spicy-bland, if such a thing exists. I even substituted sweet potatoes for the Yukon golds. Hmm. Perhaps some dried cranberries would jazz it up. I'm not sure.

Conclusion

I encourage you to try the dish. It was easy to make and is definitely different from anything you've probably cooked in a while. Like curry, variety is one of life's finest spices. If you do give it a go, I recommend experimenting. Add an ingredient for sweetness and report back to let me know how it turned out.

Namaste!

Week 1: No Hurry Vegetable Curry

I found this recipe by Robin Robertson on www.fatfreevegan.com. It came from a book titled Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker:

What to use:

1 tablespoon peanut oil -- (I used olive oil.)
2 large carrots -- sliced diagonally
1 medium yellow onion -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 large Yukon gold potatoes -- peeled and diced (I used yams.)
8 ounces green beans -- cut 1-inch thick
1 1/2 cups chickpeas -- rinse, if canned
15 ounces canned tomatoes -- drained (I used stewed tomatoes.)
2 cups vegetable stock (fatfree)
1/2 cup green peas, frozen -- thawed
1/2 cup canned coconut milk -- (I used lite, low fat coconut milk.)

What to do:

1. Sauté the onion in oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir to coat.

(My coriander was old and had turned into light brown fluff similar in appearance to brown sugar. I tasted it because I was suspicious that my husband had put brown sugar in an empty coriander jar. He hadn't. The coriander, over time, had simply become weird. Further investigation is necessary. I used it anyway.)

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to your slow cooker & add potatoes, green beans, beans, tomatoes & soup.

(I also added my carrots and garlic here. I'm not sure why these were omitted by the recipe on the website. There was some initial panic - it didn't look like everything would fit in my 2 quart slow cooker. Luckily everything did fit.)

3. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

(I turned on my slow cooker at 9 AM and instructed my husband to turn it off between 3 and 5 PM. I will be at work. Two hours into the cooking process the house smells like curry and takes me back to the days I traveled in India.)

4. Just before serving add the peas & coconut milk and season with salt to taste. Adjust other seasonings if necessary.

Results:

The jury is still out on this recipe. When I get home from work tonight I'll add the peas and coconut milk, allowing the recipe to stew for a little while in the slow cooker. It will be stored in the refrigerator overnight and we'll eat it for dinner tomorrow night over basmati rice.

More details to follow...

Welcome to Vegan Tuesdays

If you're reading this, you're probably like me. You are not a vegan, but you have entertained the idea of becoming one. You feel guilty when you buy meat. You stroll in wonderment through the vegan aisle at the supermarket. You've probably already tried a few uncreative vegan dishes - using meat substitute in the same old dinner. It wasn't bad. In fact, you kind of liked it. Now you're wondering if you should try a little harder...

I have decided to try a little harder. Each Tuesday for the duration of the year I will make a new vegan dish for myself and my husband to enjoy. I will share recipes, substitutions and results on this blog. I invite you to join me, and to share with me some recipes of your own.

Enjoy!

*Angie*