RECIPE BELOW!! “Here we go, yo! Here we go, yo! So wat, so wat, so wat’s tha scenario?” Tribe Called Quest is one of my faves of all time! And it’s what popped into my head as I sat down to type this. SO. Here’s the scenario:

Within the Plant-Based community, oil falls into a house that’s pretty divided. There are plant-based people who consume oil, and there are plant-based people who do not. For a while, I did not consume oil. After being plant-based for a while, we as a family realized being completely oil-free was not something that could sustain long-term, nor was it something that we wanted to sustain longterm.

Do I still cook oil-free dishes? Yes! All the time.
Do I cook with oil? Yes! All the time.
Do I offer oil-free options on most all my recipes? Yes, with the exception of vegan baking.
Do I feel guilty for using oil? No.
Do I still consider myself a healthy person? Yes.
Do my weight and BMI support my claim of being healthy? Yes.

The topic of oil consumption has been on my mind lately as many people have spammed my DM’s, instagram posts, and YouTube videos shaming me for oil use and consumption. One person said that my recipes were garbage and that I was doing people a disservice by sharing my recipes (on multiple videos). yayyyy. LOL! But you know what I feel now at this stage in the game? Confidence and peace. Type away, keyboard warriors! I understand some people (maybe even you reading this!) are not comfortable with consuming oil on their plant-based journey.

I am here to support you, and I want you to LOVE. YOUR. FOOD!

Now… if you’re wanting Cajun flavor without the oil, you’re in the RIGHT SPOT, HONEY!! Gahhh! Roux is so delicious. There’s nothing like the smell of the flour toasting. My son always comments on it (he NEVER misses it LOL!). “Hey! It smells like gumbo!” Which, making a roux is the first step in gumbo making haha. If you watch the video, you’ll see that i’m equally obsessed with the smell of a roux! Gosh that’s probably weird lol but if you know, you know!

You can use whole wheat flour or white flour! Both will work for this recipe! Whole wheat is more plant-based, white flour is more vegan, however both are made from plants! ❤️🌱

Try this with my red beans and rice recipe! Throw it in another soup or stew to thicken it up! Get creative! There’s so much you can do!

Store it in an airtight container, shelf stable for a couple months. I’m not sure how many exactly, but ours is always gone within a month lol.

Rate the recipe on the recipe card and let me know what you think!

Happy cooking! Happy eating! A plus tard…