Sweet Vegan Potato Gumbo

This hearty and flavor-packed vegan gumbo is made with roasted sweet potato chunks and red beans, simmered in a Cajun spiced tomato broth.

Cajun food is one area of cuisine I’ll admit I know very little about. From what I do understand, that might be because it’s not the most veg-friendly food.

I guess Terry Walters must feel the same way, as she confesses to having “broke all the rules” with this recipe. With that in mind, I can’t comment on the authenticity (though I’m assuming it must be lacking), but taste wise, this stuff was bomb.

A bit about the cookbook: Eat Clean Live Well. The first thing I noticed was that it’s just beautiful. The photos are of the type that I might include in a Pinterest food photography inspiration board. This particular dish is not pictured in the book, so I didn’t have the worry of some amazing work of art to contend with. I hope my pics at least convey how tasty this vegan gumbo was.

Then there’s the food. The recipes are organized by season, which I love. This is a big deal to food dorks like myself, but it’s also a great way for the novice chef to get acquainted with eating seasonally. Each section also includes an intro with a discussion on clean living during that particular season.

The dishes are enticing, whole food based, and all vegan and gluten free. A few that I’ve got bookmarked for other times during the year:

Spring – Tempeh Reuben Casserole

Summer – Black Bean Mango Tacos

Fall – Roasted Squash, Caramelized Shiitake and Shallot Lasagna

And that brings us to…okay, it’s not technically winter yet, but there’s snow on the ground outside my house. Also, I reeeeeaaaly wanted to make this one. How could I resist vegan gumbo? With sweet potatoes!? I’m glad I didn’t, because this stuff was so worth it. It was super flavorful and smelled like heaven simmering away on my stove top. The roasted sweet potato chunks were the perfect texture and flavor compliment to go along with this spicy Cajun stew. The recipe makes a big old batch, so if you live in a small household like me, you’ll have vegan gumbo for days, which is good, because the leftovers are fantastic. See how my version is a little brothy? I could have gone heavier on the rice in that bowl, but also…dish this out on day 2 and everything will have sucked up the juices.

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Sweet Potato Gumbo + Eat Clean Live Well Cookbook Review

This hearty and flavor-packed vegan gumbo is made with roasted sweet potato chunks and red beans, simmered in a Cajun spiced tomato broth.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 8

Author Terry Walters

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper chopped
• 3 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes with their juices
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
• 6-8 dashes hot sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place wild rice and water in pot or rice cooker. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered until water is absorbed (about 40 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Fluff with wooden spoon when cool.
3. Meanwhile, place sweet potatoes in bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes or until caramelized and soft (time will vary depending on size of cubes). Remove from oven and set aside.
4. In large Dutch oven over high heat, brown onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper in remaining tablespoon olive oil until soft (3 minutes). Reduce heat to medium, add kidney beans, thyme, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne and stir. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar and vegetable stock and stir to combine all ingredients. Submerge bay leaves and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add roasted sweet potatoes to soup and stir in dissolved arrowroot. Simmer 2 minutes longer, then remove from heat. Discard bay leaves and season with hot sauce.
6. Place a spoonful of rice in the center of each soup bowl, ladle gumbo around rice and serve topped with chopped scallions.