A couple of weeks ago, I visited + experienced the culture of NOLA for the first time! 4 other girls and myself went down to the good ol’ louisiana bayou to celebrate one of my best friends and her upcoming wedding in September.
I absolutely loved it. And probably a little too much…
The music, the landscape, the architecture, the colors, the FOOD…
Once I came home + recovered from my trip, I felt inspired to cook up a cajun classic, using my bountiful amounts of okra, onions + peppers from our week’s CSA box.
So, today I’m sharing a yummy gumbo recipe I adapted from one of my favorite food blogs, PaleOMG.
PALEO GUMBO:
- 4 smoked andouille chicken sausages, sliced (or if you don’t mind rice, boudin is also a yummy choice! i used this and just took it out of the casing so the flavors would intermix.)
- 1 cup leftover spicy pulled pork
- 6 cups broth (vegetable OR chicken OR both!)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 cups sliced okra
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons fat (animal fat, grassfed butter OR coconut oil)
I’m all about figuring out how I can try to use the least amount of prep/cooking dishes so I don’t have a sink full that I have to wash later. YUCK. So, I took the crockpot full of pulled pork I made the day before, and transferred it into another container, leaving enough fat in the bottom of the pot to start sauteing my onions, peppers + garlic. Cook these until the onions become translucent, then add your spices + tomato paste. Pour in your broth + bay leaves and let simmer for 10 minutes. Next add your sausage + shredded pork. Lastly, add salt + pepper to taste, and let it simmer on low in the crockpot for about 10-15 minutes or until you are ready to serve.
CAULIFLOWER RICE:
- 1 head of cauliflower, stem and leaves removed, chopped in florets
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon grassfed butter (or other kind of fat)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- salt + pepper, to taste
Add cauliflower to a food processor or blender to “rice” the cauliflower. Just be sure to pulse it in small quantities so it doesn’t turn into a puree. (no food processor? Juli recommends using a cheese grater instead! A little messy, but it still gets the job done!) in a saucepan over medium heat, add your fat along with 1 garlic clove then the riced cauliflower. Then add the broth and salt + pepper, and let cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn.
I love cauliflower rice! It has a super mild flavor, and is a great way to sneak in another vegetable into your meal, especially if you are struggling to get your kiddos to eat them!
To view the original recipe, and discover many more, visit PaleOMG!
