Easy Esselstyn Diet Recipes with Pictures: Dandelion Green Gumbo with Good Thyme Rice

The dandelions lost most of their bitterness during the simmering without previous blanching. The other seasoned vegetable included of cause the “holy trinity” of Cajun gumbo soups (onion, celery and bell pepper).

Served

A delicious Louisiana gumbo prepared with a dark “roux” made from braised onions, beer and barley used as thickener as well as for white meat replacement. The full-bodied Cajun flavor and the supple texture and refreshing slight bitterness of the greens provided for a feast.

Get in Advance:

1 cup of Basmati rice

1 cups of low-salt low-fat vegetable broth

½ cup of water

4-5 springs of fresh thyme

1 bunch of dandelion greens washed and cut lower stems discarded

2 gloves of garlic, mince

1 bottle pale lager beer (bitter but not sweet)

2 cups of low-salt low-fat vegetable broth

2 ribs of celery, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ yellow medium onion, chopped

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

1 bay leaf

½ cup of barely

3 -6 teaspoons of Frank’s Hot sauce, medium to spicy heat level

½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 cups of low-salt low-fat vegetable broth

½ of ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 15oz can of roasted chunked tomatoes with juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 scallion, finely chopped

Have On Hand:

Crisp bread

Ingredients

Workplace

Readying the greens

Recipe

(Adapted from and expanded to low-salt, low-fat (Esselstyn Plant Diet) from Rachael Ray Show: 30 Minute Meals, recipebridge.com)

For 3 (generous)-to 4 Portion. Prep time: 90 min.

Prepare Vegies

Wash Dandelions, set aside lower stems, chop to 1 inch strips

Chop lower stems.

Mince finely 2 gloves of garlic

Chop half of an onion

Chop half of a red bell pepper

Chop 2 ribs of celery taken from heart and include the greens

Start the Rice

Place into small pot 1 cup of Basmati rice

1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of low-salt low-fat vegetable broth

Add five springs of fresh thyme

Bring to boil and simmer for30 - 35min. Do not overcook.

Make Soup

Prepare roux

In a heavy soup casserole on high heat braise onions to dark brown color (5 min).

Add garlic for 10 sec until fragrant.

Cool down.

Deglaze with 1 bottle of pale beer

Add ¼ teaspoon of black pepper

Add ½ teaspoon of sweet paprika

Reduce volume to ½ on medium heat

Add 1 Bay leaf

Add ½ cup of barley

Add 3 teaspoons of Frank’s Red Hot sauce

Add ½ tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Add chopped red bell pepper, celery and chopped lower dandelion stems but not the scallions!

Let cook for 5 min

Cook the dandelion greens

Add 2 cups of vegetable broth

Add chopped green and fold under roux

Add ½ of ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Raise heat to a boil and lower to a simmer

Add chunked tomatoes with juice and fold under

Simmer for 15 min

Add water as needed for adjusting liquid level of the soup.

Finish Rice

When rice done remove thyme stems

Add chopped scallion and lemon zest

Fluff with fork

Serve Soup

Fill gumbo into soup bowls

Fill tightly a small dish (1/2 cup measuring cup) with rice and empty it into the middle of the soup

Complement with crisp bread

Chop dandelions greens

Chopped dandelions with discarded lower stems (but see below)

Chopped vegetables readied

Braise onions to dark color

De-caramellize with lager beer

Boil down to half volume

Add rest of “holy trinity” vegies

Add chopped dandelions

Fold dandelion greens under rux

Add fire-rosted chunked tomatoes

Remove Bay leaf from finished gumbo

Remove from rice thyme stems

Mix into rice chopped scallion and lemon zest and fluff up rice

Prepared

Klaus

Spring time is dandelion growing season! This time I used also the bases of the stems, which have only little green leaf attached, since they provide additional fiber and a little crunchiness. I separately dice them and added them to the initial onion pepper stewing.

I got a large bunch of Green

Cutting off the stems’ bottom

Chopped bottom stems for stewing

Served

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