So this recipe is for him. While I happen to enjoy my highly plant-based diet, we do still have a few meat-based dinners in our house every now and then. (Austin and I officially dropped our “vegetarian” labels right before we got married). But I have a secret to share–> I don’t cook any raw meat in our kitchen. I don’t like handling raw meat, worrying about cooking it properly, cleaning up afterward… really, anything about the process. Plus, cooking meat would just mean spending more time in my kitchen! That’s probably half the reason I was vegetarian in the first place. — If we do have meat for dinner, I usually cheat and buy organic Rotisserie Chickens from Whole Foods. Sure, it’s a little pricier than cooking the raw meat myself, but since we still don’t consume it that often, it’s worth it to me to save the time and stress! Hence, why you don’t see many “meat” recipes on my blog. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t add meat to most of my vegetarian recipes, for a delicious meat-based meal. As far as I’m concerned, most of the flavor is in the sauces, thanks to fresh veggies and herbs. Which is why this recipe for Grain-Free Gumbo is also delicious, with or without the chicken. Traditional gumbo recipes call for a roux of flour and butter or oil, to thicken it up, but I had great results creating a “faux roux” by simply blending together a steamed potato with water. Easier, and way healthier <– just the the way I like it. — Grain-Free Gumbo Makes 4 servings adapted from Paula Deen’s Gumbo Ingredients: 4 cups water 1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into chunks 1 tablespoon butter, or coconut oil 1 large onion, chopped 8 cloves garlic, minced 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 3 stalks celery chopped 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup chunky tomato sauce, or stewed tomtatoes 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste sea salt and pepper, to taste Optional: Meat from half of a rotisserie chicken, roughly chopped Directions: In a small saucepan, steam the potato chunks until fork-tender, about 8-10 minutes, then remove from the heat. In a large stock pot, melt the butter or coconut oil over medium heat, and saute the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic for 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and allow to cook for another 10 minutes while you prepare the “faux roux.” Transfer the steamed potato to a blender filled with 4 cups water, and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the “roux” to your cooked vegetable mixture, along with the tomatoes, cayenne, nutritional yeast, and chopped chicken, if using. Season with extra salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 30-45 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Serve hot, over a bed of cauliflower rice for a traditional gumbo experience. Well, almost traditional. — Hope this gumbo keeps you warm until Spring! Reader Feedback: Do you cook much meat in your own home? Any tips or tricks?
