Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Oh! This was so good! I can't wait to have more tomorrow. Gumbo is always better the next day. This is my family recipe for Shrimp and Okra Gumbo with a twist. The twist is that I used the shrimp shells and the vegetable scraps to make a shrimp stock. My mother always added plain water to her gumbos. They were always delicious, but after hours and hours of watching Food Network I recognize the value of a good stock. It is totally optional if you are short on time, but I totally recommend it. It is so rich and full of shrimp flavor. To make the stock just throw in the ends and peels of all the vegetables with the shrimp shells. Nothing goes to waist here. The onion skins make the stock a beautiful dark color. On a side note, I have been saving all my veggie scraps in a freezer bag in the freezer. When I get a pot full I plan to make a vegetable stock for free. I will let you know how it turns out. If it turns out half as good as the gumbo it will be worth the used freezer space.

Back to the gumbo! I think this is one of my two favorite gumbos. It is just that good. The shrimp is definitely the star here. But the okra is great too, it gives the gumbo great body. I just can't say enough good things about this recipe. I hope you will give it a try real soon.

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil  

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 small can tomato paste

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

16 oz frozen okra, defrosted

2-1/2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined 

Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Creole seasoning, to taste
1/2 bunch green onion, sliced

Handful parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat flour and oil on medium to medium-high heat until milk chocolate or dark caramel color. Add bell pepper, celery, and onion cook until softened. Add tomato paste and stir until well mixed. Add okra cook until soft. Add 2 quarts hot water or shrimp stock (recipe below) and bring to a boil. Add seasoned shrimp and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes and check for seasoning, adjust seasoning to taste. Add green onion and parsley. Serve over hot rice.

Shrimp Stock
Makes approx. 2 quarts

Ingredients

Shrimp shells from 2-1/2 lbs of shrimp
Vegetable scraps from onion, celery, bell pepper and tomato(optional)
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
1 garlic clove, unpeeled and whole
Pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 quarts water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Continue to simmer while preparing roux. Once vegetables are added to roux. Strain stock and set aside for use in gumbo. Discard solids removed from stock.

For my other favorite Gumbo see this previous post:

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Linking to:

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
The Frugal Foodie Mama: Marvelous Mondays
The Chicken Chicken: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You do This Weekend?
Memories By the Mile: Tuesday Trivia - Michigan and Link Party
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays and Get Him Feed
Mommy On Demand: Create It Or Bake It
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Easy Life Meal and Party Planning: Four Seasons Blog Hop
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Hunan Chili Mushrooms Part Deux

Last month I created this recipe to answer a big veggie craving. It was delicious but not very pretty. (Click here for original post) Let's face it, it was BROWN! And it did not photograph well at all. Well I have made it two times since then and made some modifications. I used baby bellas halved or quartered depending on their size. This fixed the "brown" problem. I also added a little more soy sauce and sherry so there is more sauce in the finished dish. I also added to the fiery heat of the dish. I now use the entire jalapeno seeds and all. It is even better and so much more attractive. My only regret is I still haven't taken a photo to do it justice. I will keep trying. I see myself making this dish very often.

Hunan Chili Mushrooms
Serves 2 or 4 as part of a multi-course meal

Ingredients

1 lb mushrooms (baby bellas), halved or quartered

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp dry sherry

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp brown sugar

1 can baby corn, drained

3 to 5 green onions cut into 1 inch pieces

1” piece of ginger, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips 1" long

1 jalapeno, halved and sliced

1 tsp hot chili oil

Hot cooked rice

Directions

Prepare mushrooms and other ingredients. Combine soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch and brown sugar in medium bowl, set aside.

Heat work over high heat for 1 minute or until hot. Drizzle 1 Tbsp vegetable oil into wok and heat 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; stir-fry until mushrooms begin to brown. Push mushrooms to the sides of wok drizzle in remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil add corn, onions, ginger, garlic, red pepper and jalapeno to wok stir-fry 1 minute. Add sauce mixture and chili oil. Cook and stir until heated through and sauce begins to thicken. Serve over hot rice.

Linking to:
My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup

Vegetable Primavera Casserole

Over at the Law Students Cookbook she hosts a Pantry Party each month. The theme for October is casseroles. I have to admit I was a little stumped. I don't cook a lot of casseroles. My family maybe has three or four casserole recipes in their recipe box. I am cutting it a little close for getting this recipe to Elizabeth's party. It took me forever to decide on what to bring. I finally decided to create something new just for this party. I have had Vegetable Primavera on my mind so why not try it in casserole form. I have to say it turned out so good! I wanted to lick my plate. (You will never know if I did?) You must choose a spoon to eat this dish. A fork just doesn't work to scoop up all the delicious sauce. This casserole is so full of delicious veggies, pasta and garlicky good cream sauce. Most every ingredient is from the pantry or freezer. The only fresh ingredients you need to have on hand is Parmesan, tomatoes and garlic. This casserole is filling enough for a meatless meal, but would make a great side dish too. Between the seasoned veggies and Alfredo sauce this dish it well seasoned there was no need for additional salt or pepper. And you know me I add salt, black and red pepper to everything. This experience may just have me looking to build my casserole collection.

Vegetable Primavera Casserole

Serves 6

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups dry Gemelli pasta

2 (10 oz) steam bags of frozen seasoned spring vegetable medley

1 (15 oz) jar light Alfredo sauce

1 tsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp dried oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

1 to 2 tomato, sliced

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Prepare vegetables according to package microwave directions. Drain reserving liquid. Measure liquid and add enough hot water to measure 1/2 cup. Stir in chicken bouillon.

In a bowl or the pasta pot, combine cooked pasta, vegetables, oregano and garlic. Add Alfredo sauce and reserved liquid mixture, stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into a casserole sprayed with cooking spray. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with tomato slices and Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 more minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Linking to:
Law Students Cookbook: Pantry Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
The Frugal Foodie Mama: Marvelous Mondays
The Chicken Chicken: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You do This Weekend?
Memories By the Mile: Tuesday Trivia - Michigan and Link Party
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Mommy On Demand: Create It Or Bake It
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Easy Life Meal and Party Planning: Four Seasons Blog Hop
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup

Crawfish Gumbo

Here is a Gumbo that I did not grow up eating. In fact, I know my mother never made one. And my Maw Maws never served one to me. The first time I had this gumbo was when I lived in Central Texas. There was a Cajun restaurant we would go to for a little taste of home. We would get a shrimp po-boy and a cup of gumbo. One of the gumbos they served was Crawfish Gumbo. Honestly that was the first time I ever heard of it. It was rich and delivered that rich gumbo flavor I was missing. 

Well dear sister has been asking for a gumbo and I kept saying when it is a little cooler. I told her I was thinking about trying to make a Crawfish Gumbo and she was not thrilled with the idea. Since that conversation I have had both crawfish and gumbo on my mind. So I bought some frozen crawfish tails in wait for the temperature to drop. Well it has been cooler now for three days. With dear sister out of town I thought I would try my Crawfish Gumbo experiment and put my mind to rest.

It was actually a pretty easy gumbo to put together I was able to cook it Thursday evening. I did add some things I don't normally put in my gumbos; rotel, garlic and bay leaf. I thought they would work well with the crawfish. I like the spicy flavor of boiled crawfish and wanted it in my gumbo. I also waited to the end to add the crawfish tails because I did not wanted them to get tough. Well although this turned out to be a great rich pot of Gumbo, I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the crawfish department. I think I will try this one more time in the spring when crawfish are in season. I want to be able to make a stock with the shells. The crawfish was second fiddle to the roux in this pot. I think adding a crawfish stock will boost the crawfish flavor. Or maybe I am a purest and just like my crawfish boiled? No, I love Crawfish Bisque and Crawfish Etouffee. I think this recipe just needs to be re-visited in the spring.

Crawfish Gumbo

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 large onion, small dice

1/2 green bell pepper, small dice

3 ribs of celery, small dice

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced into half moons

10 oz. can rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and creole seasoning to taste

2 lbs. crawfish tails, peeled

1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2 cups rice, uncooked

Directions

Prepare rice to package directions. Dice all vegetables and set aside.

To prepare the roux place flour and oil in a large heavy pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium -high heat until roux is the color of dark caramel to milk chocolate. When roux is the correct color add onion, bell pepper and celery. Season the roux with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and creole seasoning. Stir occasionally to make sure it does not stick. You can cover pot in between stirs. You are looking for the veggies to be soft and create liquid in the roux. When veggies are soft add the Andouille sausage. Cook until sausage appears cooked. Add the rotel tomatoes and bay leaf stir to combine. Slowly add two quarts of warm water stirring as you go. When all the water has been incorporated bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour. Next add the crawfish and simmer for 30 minutes. Add green onions and parsley. Check seasonings and add to taste. Serve over cooked rice in large soup bowls. Garnish with more green onion, parsley and file (optional).

To see photos of preparing a Roux, check out this previous post:

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Craving more Gumbo, check out these previous pots:

Gumbo Vert

Seafood Gumbo with Whole Crabs

Turkey Gumbo

Linking to:

My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup Linkie Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Crayfish, Lobster & Crab

Texas Star Chili Cook Off 2013 Participant

Go check out Miz Helen's Country Cottage she is hosting a Texas Chili Cook Off. She has been doing this for years. You can find tons of great looking chili recipes there. Soup Spice Everything Nice has submitted a Smokey Beef and Vegetable Chili recipe. It is packed with veggies. So it is very healthy but not lacking in flavor. I used both mushrooms and beef to get that big beefy flavor. I hope you will stop by the Cook Off and click on the photo of this chili. Doing so you will get a link to the recipe and a vote for me in the cook off. I hope you will give this recipe a try. Thanks so much for being here today!

Smokey Beef and Vegetable Chili

Spinach Artichoke Soup

This is a recipe I re-invented after seeing a recipe in Cuisine at Home. The original recipe used heavy cream and whole milk. I lightened it up by using more stock and half and half. In fact, I have used fat free half and half and it is delicious. I also substituted some pantry staples for other ingredients. I use onion for leeks, frozen spinach for fresh, and vermouth for wine. I like using vermouth because it is a fortified wine and adds some herbal notes you don't find in wine. It is a deliciously creamy soup with all the flavor of the iconic dip we all love. Dear sister tried it and loved it. She did point out that bow-tie pasta would be great in this soup. I have to admit she has a point there. I am sure it would be great. But I think I will save the carbs and keep making it as is. It is a great warm soup to celebrate the fall weather coming in.

Spinach Artichoke Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion. chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, diced

1 (13.75 oz) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp vermouth (or white wine)

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed

1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan (plus more for garnish)

1 cup half and half (fat free works too)

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
1/16 tsp ground nutmeg
3 or 4 dashes hot sauce

Directions

Sauté onions and garlic in oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 2 minutes.  Season chicken with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add chicken and artichokes to pot; sauté 2 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Deglaze pot with vermouth, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add the spinach and Parmesan, and stir until cheese melts. Turn off heat and add half and half. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Serve garnished with more Parmesan.

Linking to:

Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays

My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup Linkie Party

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays

The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays

Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday

Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays

Dizzy Busy and Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday

Call Me PMc: Saturday Dishes - Soups

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwich

Here is another great sandwich recipe. It comes from the Greek Gods according to Yeero Yeero's menu. They call it the Maxim Sandwich. I call it amazing! It is a warm roll full of cool cream cheese, capers, salmon, onion, lettuce and tomato. They are the only Greek restaurant left that offers this delicious sandwich. I first tried this sandwich years ago at another restaurant that has since closed. When I saw it on the Yeero Yeero menu I was thrilled! It is simple enough to make at home too. The secret here is grilling the roll and marinating the onions. Grilling the roll toasts the bread and makes it easier to spread the cream cheese. Marinating the onions takes a little of the bite out of them. The little bit of vinegar also supports the tangy capers. I just love the combination. It is creamy, tangy, smoky and fresh. A really delicious light sandwich!

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwich

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 Tbsp onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp white vinegar

6” poboy, sub or hoagie roll

2 tsp light butter

3 Tbsp light cream cheese

1 tsp capers

1.5 oz smoked salmon

1/4 cup shredded lettuce

1 tomato slice, cut in half

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Place onion in a small bowl and drizzle with vinegar, set aside. Slice open roll into two equal slices leaving one side attached. Butter the inside or cut side of the roll. Place face down in a medium high skillet. Grill until golden brown and remove from the skillet. Remove onion from vinegar and drain on a paper towel. Spread cream cheese on the bottom half of the roll. Layer ingredients on top of cream cheese in the following order; capers, smoked salmon, onions, lettuce, and tomato. Season tomato with salt and pepper. Close the sandwich with top half of roll, slice in half and serve!

Note: I can make three sandwiches from a 4 oz package of smoked salmon.

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Kansas and Link Party
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Sandwiches
Food of the World Greece

Lemon Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Many years ago I discovered Tyler Florence's Chicken Stock recipe. I saw him on an episode of Food 911. He taught a college student how to make chicken stock and how to make three different soups with the chicken and the stock. I have made all three recipes, some several times. They are all very delicious. Below is a link to each of the recipes and a mini review. You can use his stock to make any of them or make your own recipe like I did Sunday.

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

This has to be my favorite. I love everything about it. 

It is so delicious! I love the tomato and jalapenos in the broth. 

I have made this recipe three or four times.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is comfort food at its best. One of the best chicken noodle soup 

recipes I have ever made. I have made it more than once.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

This soup is very good, but I have only made it once. 

I had a hard time finding kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.

Sunday I used the stock to re-create a Greek soup I had at a local restaurant. Yeero Yeero is the fanciest drive-thru restaurant you will ever come across. They turned an old Short Stop into a very unique dining experience. You can go inside and enjoy their formal dining room or drive-thru. For such a small place they sure have a big Greek menu. You can get all the standard Greek items but they are all uniquely Yeero Yeero. They serve a soup called Lemon Chicken Vegetable it is twist on avgolemono soup. It is a delicious chicken soup loaded with vegetables and lemon flavor. It its perfect if you are feeling under the weather. My sister has a friend that will drive-thru and pick some up any time she or her daughter is sick. 

My version of this soup starts with making Tyler's stock. He uses a turnip in the stock. If you haven't tried it you should. It really adds something to the flavor. The stock is unsalted but very flavorful. So when you see a tablespoon of salt later in the recipe don't be alarmed. After the stock cooked and I removed the chicken. Then I removed all the other solids and strained the stock through cheese cloth so the broth is clear. I sauteed all the veggies I could identify in Yeero's soup; leeks, carrots, celery, potato and zucchini. I did add one more, a yellow squash. I like lots of veggies and this one definitely adds sunny color. This soup really comes together fast once the stock has been made. So you could easily make it with a rotisserie chicken and boxed stock if you are short on time. The only tricky part is tempering the eggs. Really it is not difficult you just need to whisk the hot stock in very slowly. We want to warm the eggs slowly. If you dump the hot stock in you will end up with egg drop soup. Not attractive. I love how this egg, lemon and stock mixture turns the soup a creamy pale yellow. It looks like cream has been added but it is actually more protein. One other thing if you are persnickety about rice, you may want to cook it separately. You can add it when adding the chicken or add it to each serving. The rice does continue to absorb the soup and can be get mushy if cooked to long. If you plan this as a make ahead meal definitely add the rice and egg mixture just before you serve it. If you like lemon pepper chicken you are really going to love this soup.

Lemon Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Makes 4 quarts; Serves 8

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 potato, chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1 recipe of Tyler Florence’s Chicken Stock (approx. 11 cups)*

1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

1-1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste

1/2 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp Cavendars Greek Seasoning

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

2 cup chicken, precooked and shredded

2 eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions

Sauté leek, carrots, celery, potato, zucchini and squash in olive oil until vegetables begin to soften. Add chicken stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Remove 1 cup of stock and set aside. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. When rice begins to cook add chicken. Meanwhile beat two eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until well combined. Slowly add broth to the lemon and egg whisking the whole time. When chicken is heated through add the lemon, egg and broth mixture. Reduce heat to low, do not boil. Let it cook until flavors combine. About 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings, adjust if necessary and serve.

Note: You can use stock from a box, be sure to adjust the salt amount accordingly.

Linking to:

My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays

My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup

The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Kansas and Link Party
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Call Me PMc: Saturday Dishes - Soups
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Food of the World Greece