Hello everybody, it’s Brad, welcome to our recipe site. Today, I will show you a way to prepare a special dish, cajun gumbo. It is one of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I will make it a little bit tasty. This is gonna smell and look delicious.
Cajun Gumbo is one of the most popular of current trending foods on earth. It is simple, it’s fast, it tastes delicious. It is enjoyed by millions daily. They are nice and they look fantastic. Cajun Gumbo is something that I’ve loved my entire life.
At Your Doorstep Faster Than Ever. Gumbo is perhaps the most literal melting pot. Its influences are African (okra), French (roux), Choctaw Indian (filé powder), German (sausages), Spanish, Italian, and more. Like almost everything else about gumbo, even its name evades a clear origin story.
To get started with this particular recipe, we must prepare a few components. You can have cajun gumbo using 26 ingredients and 14 steps. Here is how you cook it.
The ingredients needed to make Cajun Gumbo:
- Get 1 lb. medium raw shrimp (peeled, tail off)
- Take 2 cups water
- Get Dash Old Bay seasoning
- Make ready 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
- Get 1 green (and/or red) bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
- Take 1 jalapeno pepper (sliced with seeds)
- Prepare 3 stalks celery (sliced, leaves for stock)
- Get Dash salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme
- Take 1/4 cup olive oil
- Take 6 chicken thighs (whole, skin on)
- Take 1 lb. Andouille sausage
- Prepare 2 tbs. butter
- Take 1/2 cup flour
- Take 3 cups chicken stock
- Get 2 garlic cloves (peeled, thinly sliced)
- Get Dash salt, pepper, Creole or Cajun seasoning
- Take 1 tsp. dried thyme
- Prepare Dash red pepper flakes
- Prepare 1 bay leaf
- Take Dash Worcestershire sauce
- Prepare Dash hot sauce
- Get 1/2 cup green onions (thinly sliced, white ends to green)
- Prepare 1 cup sliced okra (frozen - if not in season)
- Make ready 2 tsps. Filé powder (optional)
- Take 1/3 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- Make ready 2 cups cooked rice
I revised the recipe after many, many trials. Serve it hot over cooked rice or with potato salad. Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until brown roux is achieved. Do not allow roux to scorch.
Steps to make Cajun Gumbo:
- Prepare the shrimp and set aside in the refrigerator. Take the shells / tails and place them in a small pot. Add the water and Old Bay seasoning to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid into a large cup and discard the shells. [Reserve this liquid]
- Prepare the vegetables; place them all in a bowl, and set aside.
- Season the chicken. Add oil to a large pan and cook the chicken 15 minutes per side on medium heat. Remove them from the pan and allow them to cool.
- In the same pan, add the sausage and brown 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and allow it to cool.
- Pour off the oil in the pan to measure about 1/2 cup. Add butter to the pan and begin to melt. Add the measured oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat until slightly smoking. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup flour.
- Cook this, whisking constantly, until the roux is a bit darkish brown. The timing on this varies depending on the pan used, the heat, medium or dark roux technique, etc. Be careful not to let it burn. [May take 8-15 minutes]
- When the roux reaches the optimum color, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the vegetables, and mix. Scrape the pan bottom and stir occasionally. Heat this for 7-8 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, and set aside.
- Take a large pot (Dutch oven), pour in the chicken and shrimp stock, and begin to heat. When the stock is hot, add the vegetable mixture (using a large spoon), and mix this as you add more. When the roux is dissolved, continue to heat until a slight boil.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and stir in the garlic, all seasonings, and sauces. Remove the chicken meat from the bones, roughly chop the meat, and place in the pot. [Discard the skin and bones] Cut the sausage up in 1/2” pieces and add them to the pot.
- Add the green onions (white parts) and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. After the long simmer, raise the heat to medium, add the okra, and cook for 15 minutes. The stock will thicken a bit more.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the refrigerated shrimp and parsley, stir a few times, and cook until the shrimp begins to turn a slight pink. [Add filé powder at this point if not using okra] Turn off the heat; allow this to rest, while preparing the rice.
- To serve, place a cup of cooked rice into a round mini-cup. Invert the cup of rice into the center of a plate or bowl (with low sides). Ladle the gumbo all around the mounded rice and garnish with parsley. Repeat for other serving bowls.
- Serve and enjoy with some crusty bread or cornbread.
Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until brown roux is achieved. Do not allow roux to scorch. Skim any fat from the surface of the gumbo and discard. Warm the gumbo over low heat prior to continuing.) Stir in the scallions and parsley. Serve the gumbo in bowls over rice or with rice on the side, garnished with more scallions.
Turn to Food to Elevate Your Mood
For the most part, people have been trained to believe that “comfort” foods are not good for the body and need to be avoided. Sometimes, if your comfort food is made of candy or other junk foods, this is true. Otherwise, comfort foods could be really nourishing and good for you. There are a number of foods that, when you consume them, may better your mood. When you are feeling a little down and are in need of an emotional boost, test out some of these.
Eggs, believe it or not, can be actually terrific at fighting back depression. Just be sure that you do not throw away the yolk. The yolk is the most important part of the egg in terms of helping elevate your mood. Eggs, the egg yolks especially, are rich in B vitamins. The B vitamin family can be terrific for raising your mood. This is because these vitamins increase the function of your brain’s neural transmitters (the parts of the brain that affect how you feel). Try to eat an egg and feel better!
Put together a trail mix from seeds and/or nuts. Peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etcetera are all fantastic for helping to raise your mood. This is because these foods are loaded with magnesium, which helps to boost serotonin levels. Serotonin is a feel-good chemical that tells the brain how to feel at any given moment. The more of this chemical in your brain, the more pleasant you’ll feel. Nuts, along with elevating your mood, can be a superb source of protein.
Cold water fish are great for eating if you wish to combat depression. Herring, trout, tuna, wild salmon, and mackerel are all full of omega-3s and DHA. These are two substances that increase the quality and function of the gray matter in your brain. It’s true: consuming a tuna fish sandwich can really help you fight depression.
It’s not difficult to fight your bad mood when you consume grains. Quinoa, millet, teff and barley are all actually great for helping raise your happiness levels. They help you feel full also which can really help to improve your mood. Feeling hungry can really make you feel awful! These grains can elevate your mood since it’s not at all hard for your body to digest them. You digest these grains faster than other foods which can help boost your blood sugar levels, which, in turn, helps make you feel better, mood wise.
Green tea is actually great for your mood. You knew it had to be in here somewhere, right? Green tea is rich in an amino acid referred to as L-theanine. Studies have found that this specific amino acid can essentially stimulate brain waves. This helps focus your mental energy while simultaneously making the rest of your body more relaxed. You already knew green tea could help you feel so much healthier. Now you know green tea can help improve your mood as well!
You can see, you don’t need junk food or foods that are not good for you to feel better! Try these suggestions instead!
