Laissez les bons temps rouler!
It’s Mardi Gras time again and nothing goes better with it than some Cajun food.
Mardi Gras is that last day before the long 40 days and 40 nights of Lent begin. It’s mean to be about indulging before the belt-tightening begins, the final foray before the fasting. What if you’re trying to stick to your New Years resolution and be a good girl/boy and watch what you eat? One of my favorite dishes on this day is shrimp gumbo, a traditional stew, that will keep you on the straight and narrow. Its zesty spices warm the night when you’re far away from Bourbon Street but still want to celebrate.
Now traditionally gumbo uses a roux of butter and flour as a thickening agent. This recipe keeps it Whole30 & Paleo approved by using okra to do the thickening. And I just so happened to have plenty of the green pods in my freezer. We planted okra last year in our garden as an experiment and came up with a bumper crop. The plant itself grew super tall and produced tons of pods. It made for good frying and I quick blanched and froze the rest of it.
The other cool thing about this recipe is that, since Fat Tuesday happens during the week, you can put that party in a crock pot so you can spend more time enjoying.
10 minPrep Time
4 hrCook Time
4 hr, 10 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2-3 lbs chicken thighs, (boneless, skinless)
- 1 lb shrimp
- 1/2 lb sausage, cut into rounds
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaves
- 2 cup frozen okra
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 15 oz can tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except shrimp into slow cooker, stir to mix together.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6-7.
- In the last 15 minutes, stir in shrimp, allow to heat through. Serve hot.
Notes
Non-Whole30 or Paleo: Serve over cooked white rice or with corn bread.
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