Skinny Slow Cooker Gumbo Food

SLOW-COOKER GUMBO

Steps:

• Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Heat 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil, and add sausage. Cook about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage lightly browns; spoon into slow cooker. In same skillet, add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally; add to slow cooker. In same skillet, add chopped chicken. Cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally; add to slow cooker. Add okra to slow cooker.
• In heavy or cast-iron skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Using whisk, beat in flour; add Cajun seasoning and thyme. Continue to beat and cook 15 to 20 minutes, making roux that is brown and smells very nutty. Add beef stock, and beat well with whisk. Heat to boiling, beating constantly. Cook until thickened; add to slow cooker.
• Add diced tomatoes to slow cooker; stir well. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 hours.
• Serve gumbo with rice. Garnish with green onions before serving.

HEALTHIER SLOW COOKER GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, until flour is deep golden and smells toasty, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat if browning too quickly. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
• Add oil, bell peppers, onion, and garlic to the skillet; cook and stir until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir into slow cooker until coated. Stir in sausage, tomatoes, broth, Cajun seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
• Cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours or on High for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Stir in shrimp; cook until opaque, about 30 minutes on Low or 15 minutes on High.
• Meanwhile, place riced cauliflower in a heatproof dish, cover, and microwave until heated through, about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Serve gumbo over cauliflower. Sprinkle with parsley and additional black pepper.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• In a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together flour and oil until smooth.
• Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to medium.
• Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes more or until roux is dark reddish brown.
• Let the roux cool.
• Add chicken broth to a 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in the roux.
• Add sausage, chicken, okra , onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper.
• Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
• Skim off fat. Serve and enjoy.

SLOW-COOKER FREEZER-PACK GUMBO

Steps:

• Layer the chicken, sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, okra, rice, and Cajun seasoning into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the diced tomatoes over the ingredients in the bag. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Squeeze out the air from the bag and seal. Freeze until ready to use, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before cooking.
• Pour the contents of the bag into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add 1 cup water. Cook on low until the chicken is tender and the flavors meld, 6 to 8 hours. Season with salt. Serve with hot sauce and bread.

SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• In a slow-cooker, combine the chicken and all remaining ingredients except the rice. Mix well to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve over rice.

VEGETABLE GUMBO (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil for 30 seconds. Add onions and celery, cook stirring until soft (5 minutes).
• Stir in garlic, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf, cook stirring for 1 minute.
• Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil.
• Transfer to large crock pot insert.
• Stir in rice and broth.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours or until rice is tender.
• Discard bay leaf.
• In a small cup mix together the paprika and lemon juice.
• Add paprika/lemon juice mixture, okra and green pepper, stirring in well.
• Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes or until pepper is tender.
• Add a dash or two of hot pepper sauce if desired.

SEAFOOD GUMBO (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• In slow cooker stoneware, combine onions, celery, garlic, thyme, dry mustard, bay leaf, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and stock. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until vegetables are tender.
• Add okra, green pepper, chili pepper, crabmeat, shrimp and cream. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, or until okra and peppers are tender. Spoon into individual bowls and serve piping hot. Serves 6 to 8.
• TIP: Large cans of tomatoes come in 28 oz. (796 mL) and 35 oz (980 mL). In this recipe use the 28 oz. (796 mL) size. If you are using the 35 oz. (980 mL) size, drain off 1 cup liquid before adding to recipe.
• Okra, a tropical vegetable, is a great thickener for broths and sauces, but becomes unpleasantly sticky when overcooked. Choose young okra pods, 2 to 4 inches long, that don't feel sticky to the touch, which means they're too ripe. Gently scrub the pods, cut off the top and tail and slice, if desired.
• Look for Serrano chilies in Asian grocery stores or well stocked supermarkets. They are long and thin, usually green, but sometimes red, and about the size of a baby finger. (The green variety has been described as a "skinny jalepeno.").
• MAKE AHEAD: This dish can be partially assembled the night before it is cooked. Combine ingredients in Step 1 and refrigerate overnight. The next day, continue with Step 1 as directed. For added convenience, prepare the okra, green pepper and chili peppers. Combine in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Cook, devein and cut the shrimp and refrigerate, covered, in a separate bowl, until ready to use.
• The 150 Best Slow Cooker recipes Judith Finlayson.