This is a “trashcan” or “dump” recipe that can be made completely from not-very-perishible[1] ingredients. These are great for cold or rainy days when you just don’t want to leave the house. Even if you haven’t been to the store, you might have these on hand.[2] The beauty is that if you have a little common sense, there isn’t any measuring to do.
Ingredients
- frozen, chopped green bell pepper (I used a handfull)
- garlic (I used the big jar of refrigerated minced garlic) (I used a big Tablespoon)
- onion powder (I just sprinkled some in)
- celery salt (more sprinkles)
- canned creole okra gumbo (Trappey’s is the brand I used)
- canned yellow squash with Vidalia onion (Margaret Holmes brand)
- [canned diced tomatoes with Cajun seasoning] [2]
- canned black-eyed peas
- canned mushrooms
- [and if you aren’t vegan, you can add frozen shrimp or canned chicken]
Steps
- Saute the peppers, garlic, onion powder, and celery salt over medium heat.
- Once the peppers are no longer frozen (or as tender as you like them), add the undrained creole okra gumbo and Cajun tomatoes.
- Drain the liquid from the other canned items into a bowl.
- Add the rest of the vegetables to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer until thoroughly heated. Add some of the reserved liquid, if necessary, to get the consistency you like.
- Season to taste with Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning (or his More Spice if you want a bigger kick)
- Serve over rice or with crackers. Add a side salad for even more veggies.
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[1] items come from the pantry or freezer or have a very long shelf life in the refrigerator[2] I used to have a whole cookbook of these kind of recipes. There was one shopping list and then you could make anything from the whole book.
[3] I would normally add these, but we didn’t have any.