Southern USA 1 - Disney & Cooking Panda 0

It is a part of my profession to keep up with food news & trends. I have never heard a Frank Ocean tune but I know about a whopperito. I'll listen to Frank Ocean before I ever eat a whopperito but I know what it is. It's my job & this week my job made my Southern mind itch. Disney & Cooking Panda's take on Southern classics were the comical irritants. It is okay for them to be inspired by the classics but Never call a thing a thing if it's not that thing.

When you wish upon the Southern star, make sure you never mess up the gumbo. Poor Disney! They tried to debut a healthy "gumbo" to the masses and failed big time.

Tiana maybe a one of their princesses now but nobody is going to let Disney disrespect gumbo. Clearly they didn't consult Leah Chase on this recipe like they did for the movie, The Princess & the Frog. It didn't have a roux. Adding flour & oil in the middle of the recipe is not a roux. That's just thickens the dish. It had quinoa it. My grandfather, who didn't like rice ate gumbo over mashed potatoes.

Quinoa is still a grain & looks better than mashed potatoes. I could deal with that. But the adding of the kale was the true slap in the face. Disney erased the recipe before it gave a reason for adding kale. My guesses are 1) Another vegetable benefit, 2) To make it thicker without the roux calories 3) Just wanting to be different.

Gumbo is already full of amazing vegetables & fruits like okra, tomatoes, & peppers that kale was not needed. Also, there are ways to make a roux that is less in calories than the traditional recipe. I hope Disney is going back to the drawing board on making a healthy gumbo. I don't understand how they fail at modifying it, hey have a gumbo on their menu at one their restaurants in Disneyland. I do have a few suggestions.

• Use canola oil instead of butter with the flour to make a roux
• Instead of andouille sausage use smoked turkey or chicken or smoked paprika for that "rich smoky" taste. Also that lowers the sodium in the recipe
• Use shrimp stock, vegetable stock, or water instead of chicken stock. Sometimes meat stocks still contain small amounts of fat that weren't fully removed

Disney didn't have to erase their recipe. I know gumbo is derived from the West African word kingombo meaning okra. I know of an old Southern Lima Bean & Okra soup recipe that has survived with slapping a gumbo name on it. I feel calling it a gumbo inspired stew or soup may have been more appropriate. Disney, keep the recipe but ditch the name.

I've seen & eaten a few variations of sweet potato pie in my life. I've seen the potatoes sliced like apples instead of mashing them. Sarah Lee & Pappadeux have products & dishes that combine it with pecan pie that people like.

Then there is  the recipe that Cooking Panda has on their Facebook page. At the end of it the video, the recipe is called "Stuffed Sweet Potato Pie". Maybe if they had lead with the name, I might have not been so freaked out about the recipe.

Though my mind would've thought a "Stuffed Sweet Potato Pie would've looked like a "Sweet Potato Pocket", the blow might have been lessened. The first thing noticeable about this pie recipe was the missing of seasonings. September 1st, everybody but me celebrated the beginning of  Pumpkin Pie Spice time.

The only thing I put pumpkin pie spice in is sweet potato pie. It's a money saver. But you at least put cinnamon & nutmeg in sweet potato pie along with the sugar, milk, & butter (that are in the recipe). But that was not the weird thing about the recipe. They put half the filling in the crust then put parmesan cheese on top of that layer before topping it off with the other half of the potato filling.

Yes, I said parmesan cheese. I am still confused. Maybe Cooking Panda should change the name & idea of this being a pie to a quiche. It's cooked in a spring form pan (makes cheesecakes, flourless cakes & quiches) so, it could be could a quiche. That's what Cooking Panda made a Sweet Potato Quiche!

America is a melting pot. Yes, I know. But it is important that we know the proper names of it's ingredients. Non-Southerners, its like calling every apple organic, even though many of them have be treated with chemicals. I guess recipes like these should be expected. This is the land where Basic Cornbread Dressing is still thought to be Innovative version of Thanksgiving stuffing in magazines & websites. The South may never "Rise Again" but All Southerners will Rise to protect the integrity of it's recipes.

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms

Mambo Gumbo (Healthier Soul Food)

According to Wikipedia, Gumbo is a dish that originated in southern Louisiana from the Louisiana Creole people during the 18th century. It typically consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, okra, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoning vegetables, which can include celery, bell peppers and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used: the African vegetable okra, the Choctaw spice filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves), or roux, the French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either the Bantu word for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for filé (kombo). Several different varieties exist.. The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including West African, French, Spanish, German, and Choctaw. Gumbo may have been based on traditional West African or native dishes, or may be a derivative of the French dish bouillabaisse. It was first described in 1802, and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter half of the 19th century. The dish gained more widespread popularity in the 1970s, The dish is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana.

Gumbo is a beloved meal for my grandmother's side of the family. Gumbo has been made on Sunday or on a holiday like Christmas or New Years Day meal. There have been many times a family member said "I'm making Gumbo for this holiday" and a collection has been raised for that person to buy supplies. I'm one of those black people who truly has ancestors from Louisiana. My grandmother's mother was born in Boyce. La and raised in Leesville, La.

No, I don't know what percentage (%) of Creole and/or Cajun I am because she was adopted by her Godparents when she was small. I do know she was a black woman (died when I was 4), who's Louisiana accent would show up when she was serious. She met my great-grandfather (who was from Southeast Texas (long Jim Crow story on why he was in La.)) and moved to Texas (Dallas area) when my grandmother was 7 years old. My great-grandmother, who we called "Grandma" was a housewife. She had a husband and 9 children (my grandmother is the 2nd child & 1st daughter). Meals had to stretch. Gumbo was made a lot in their home. My grandmother, who her grandchildren call Granny often tell us of the many different ingredients that were possibly be in their family's pot of gumbo. Along with the okra & shellfish (shrimp or crawfish mostly), onions, tomatoes & bell peppers, there may have been neck bones (pork), oxtails, meat from a ham bone, various varieties of sausage, chicken parts (sometimes feet & gizzards too), and even bologna in the pot. I'm inclined to believe her because her youngest brother (RIP Uncle E), who my family (me included) believes made the Best gumbo in life put a lot of those ingredients in his gumbo. I was a freshman in high school when he made his last pot for the family. I remember seeing the oxtails and neck bones. I knew then Granny's food tales of yore were pretty accurate. I am also inclined to believe their household was not the only one making Gumbo with those components.

I do not make gumbo with all those meats in it. Number 1, now those meats that were thought to be low budget back in the day are pricey delicacies now. Number 2 and the most importantly, those meats are very fatter to consume. My family have enough health issues related to their past diet practices. If there is a 3, my grandmother didn't make her gumbo like that. I learned to make her version. Again gumbo gets made many times a year in my home, somethings just had to be omitted. Well, last year I found a recipe that has become a favorite along side my grandmother's & uncle's recipe in my household.

Shrimp & Chicken Sausage Gumbo (Found on Diet Solutions' Facebook Page)

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped green bell pepper
• 2/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound chicken sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp. Salt-Free Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups shrimp or chicken stock (Water can be used)
• 1 lb. frozen okra
• 1 1/2 pound uncooked shrimp - peeled & deveined

Directions:
1. Roux :  Put flour into a Dutch oven or large heavy pot and add oil. Turn heat to medium-high, put the pot on the burner, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick and bubbly, has a 'peanutty' smell, and is dark brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool and thicken.
2. In a skillet coated with cooking spray Cook and stir celery, onions, celery, garlic bell pepper & sausage until veggies are tender and meat is lightly browned, about 10 minutes; add to pot with the roux.
3. Stir in stock, tomatoes, seasonings, pepper sauce into the pot. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low
4. Stir okra into the mixture and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Gently stir shrimp into the mixture; cook until the shrimp are bright pink, about 3 minutes.
6. May be serve with cooked rice

*If you are uneasy about making a roux. Don't worry, this recipe can be made without the roux and still be delicious*

I think my great uncle would like this recipe.

Well, after some good sarcastic ribbing, he would like it. Nothing says "I Love You" like insults in my family.

And concludes this series on Healthier Soul Food recipes. We need food to live. Love is the most common ingredient in Soul Food. Well, nothing says I Love You like helping our loved one live their very best. Let's help them more from our soul and some Healthier Soul Food.

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms