Vegan Cajun Gumbo

I was visiting a friend in Portsmouth VA, and he told me that I had to try the vegan gumbo at one of his favorite restaurants. I have to admit, it blew me away! Shortly thereafter, I was determined to develop my own gumbo recipe that would rival theirs. So here it is, I hope you enjoy this vegan version!

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 60 mins

Ingredients
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Gumbo rue:
3 tbsp vegan butter
¼ cup flour

Gumbo spices:
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cajun seasoning
½ tsp thyme
2 tsp salt
4 bay leaves

1 onion
2 carrots
1 bell pepper
4 celery stalks
4 garlic cloves
12 oz chopped okra
2 cans of red beans
2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes
8 cups of veggie broth
10-12 oz chopped mushrooms
½ cup brown rice
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp liquid smoke
2 vegan sausages chopped
Vegan beefy crumble

This recipe is brought to you by: Ovation Public Speaking

Steps:
1. Add the vegan butter to a dutch oven and melt. Gradually add the flour and whisk to create a rue.
2. Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots and saute for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and okra and saute for 8-10 minutes until the slime from the okra cooks out.
4. Gradually add the broth and stir to dissolve the rue, then add the fire roasted tomatoes, chopped mushrooms, dried rice, bay leaves, and all of the gumbo spices and salt. Bring the gumbo to a boil, then let it simmer for 20 minutes.
5. While the gumbo is cooking, pan saute the vegan sausage.
6. Add the beans, vegan sausage, soy sauce, and liquid smoke, then simmer for another 20 minutes.
7. While the gumbo is cooking, prepare the vegan ground beef in the same pan used for the vegan sausage.
8. Once the gumbo has cooked and cooled for about 5 minutes, add the cooked vegan beef. Stir in thoroughly.