Sweet Tea… in Italia!

Italy, Amazing Food, Love and Wine Y'all!

I had a craving for some gumbo the other day.. so I came across a recipe in this month’s issue of Clean eating magazine..

So I read it.. it had a lot of crap in it.. but since it was mostly vegetables.. I decided let’s give it a whirl.. so I added some stuff, took some other stuff out and changed some things.. and this is what I came up with..

Ingredients
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Stalks of celery, chopped
2 Carrots, Chopped
1 Large Sweet Onion
2 cups of sliced mushrooms (shitake or bella)
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
5 Cloves of Minced Garlic
1 tbsp dried Thyme
2 tsp ground Cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 Cup Brown Rice
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 cups Vegetable Broth
1 can Cannellini Beans, drained
1 can Red Kidney Beans, drained
1/2 cup Fresh Parsley Chopped
2 Tsp sea salt
1 tsp each of cayenne and black pepper
4 Green Onions sliced for topping
1 lbs jumbo shrimp

Directions:
** note.. I cooked the rice in my rice cooker while I was at work, so I didn’t have to wait so long on dinner to cook… (good thinking right??)

In a large stock pot on medium-high heat, add the oil and heat it. Add the garlic, celery, carrots and onions and red pepper and saute for about 5-7 minutes until softened.

I’m all about the smelling it in the house..  Garlic, Pepper and Onions sauteed in Olive oil.. is like the holy trinity..

So, Then I Added the Mushrooms and Saute’d them  for another 7 minutes-ish.

Added the okra, bell pepper, thyme, cumin and bay leaves.

Saute until fragrant, around another 5 minutes.

** here is where I changed things myself…

Stir in the rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the broth.

Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook stirring occasionally, until the Rice has become al dente, about 30-40 minutes. (basically I went into my room, changed into comfy clothes, put my hair up and went back to the kitchen and Everything smelled and looked done)

Add the beans, parsley, salt, cayenne and black pepper and shrimp.

Cook until the shrimp is cooked (when they turn pink)

Remove the bay leaves and serve with Green onions on top..