Okra Vegetable Soup

The weather is rather chilly today and a bowl of hearty soup is a welcoming thought!  Since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to make my okra vegetable soup.  I never had the famous gumbo, so having nothing to compare to I can't officially call this "Vegetable Gumbo" but that is what my family refers to it by.  This soup is easy to make, doesn't have fancy ingredients, and deliciously filling.  You can make the soup match your taste buds by simply tweaking the ingredients. 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

©      2 tablespoons Flour

©      3 tablespoons Butter/Margarine (Earth Balance to make it 100% vegetarian)

©      1 medium Onion- chopped

©      2 Garlic cloves-chopped

©      1 Bell Pepper-chopped (I used 1/2 Yellow and 1/2 Red)

©      2 stalks of Celery-chopped

©      1/2 cup Frozen/Fresh Corn

©      1 cup Frozen/Fresh Okra-coarsely chopped

©      3-5 tablespoons Tomato Sauce or V8 vegetable juice

©      1/4 cup instant Brown Rice/Cooked Rice

©      1/4 cup quick Pearled Barley

©      5-6 cups Vegetable Bouillon (I used 3 cubes of vegetable bouillon with 6 cups of water)

©      1 tablespoon Parsley flakes or handful coarsely chopped fresh Parsley

©      1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

©      Herbal Seasoning Salt to taste (I use Herbamare)

Directions:

1.  Prepare all the vegetables before starting the base of the soup.

2.  Make the roux-or the base of the soup by melting butter in a cast iron pot on medium heat.  Add flour and mix using a whisk, mix frequently, taking care not to burn.  The roux will expand and start turning a golden color.  Constantly mixing, continue to "brown" the roux until it reaches a dark tan/light brown color 3-4 minutes:  this will add the rich "roasted" feel to the soup.

3.  Add the chopped onions, garlic, pepper, celery, and okra if using FRESH ONLY.  Sauté the vegetables for 2-3 minutes: if using fresh okra cook until the slimy texture disappears.

4.  Add the tomato sauce or juice to the vegetables:  add more if you like the "tomato" taste in your soup.  Continue to cook for additional 1-2 minutes.

5.  Add corn, frozen okra-if using, instant rice or use leftover cooked rice, pearled barley, and vegetable bouillon.  Mix and bring to a boil.  Add parsley, paprika, and seasoning salt to taste.   Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.  Taste, add additional seasoning to match your preference, try adding: Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, or some Cajun seasoning. 

Bon Appetit my lovely readers!