Cajun Vegan Vegetable Gumbo

 

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs. greens (collard, mustard, or turnip), washed and stemmed 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 cup flour 2 large onions, finely diced 1 green bell pepper, finely diced 4 stalks celery, finely diced 1 16-oz. can plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped 1/4 cup liquid hot sauce (such as Texas Pete's) 3 bay leaves 1 tsp. file powder (a Cajun spice) Cayenne pepper, to taste 1/2 tsp. each thyme, oregano, and basil 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 6 cups + 1/4 cup vegetable broth 1 10-oz. package frozen okra 1 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups cooked white rice

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 Vegetable Broth and 2 Tbsp 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 saute 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 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.