Merpig,

I have looked into contributing. Still on the fence and need to learn more.

Nancy LC,

I appreciate the feedback. I have been experimenting with Xanthan gum for thickening, so I expect to get that working well at some point. The Okra in gumbo provides a gelatinous thickening as well.

With making the roux, its really more about the flavor than thickening. This is why I think some folks are a little perplexed by my thread here. Most people think of roux for thickening and in most recipes thats exactly what its for in addition to flavor.

The longer a roux is cooked, like the dark roux used in Cajun cooking, it actually thickens less. The less flour roux is cooked, the more it thickens.

What I'm aiming for is the flavor. I'll be sure to report back on any success with almond flour. I would like to find a small package but that seems hard to come by.

Most people dont even make gumbo or the proper roux you need for it, so this thread is all about the experiment to me. I'm actually a little surprised at how many people have written things to me like you have, basically saying you just have to give stuff up and get used to it. I get that, but for me life is about challenging rather than giving up...I'm one of those guys that tries to fix everything around the house I can, even if I've never done it. I'm always pushing the limits and I'm pretty tenacious when I get my mind set on doing something.

I got real close with this first run. I'll bet I'll get even closer at some point. I saw a Bizarre foods with Andrew Zimmern the other day where he visited Cajun country and met an old woman with a generations old gumbo recipe. The recipe doesn't even use a roux, he said she slow roasts okra for three hours to give the gumbo that deep rich flavor. That's the kind of out of the box thinking I like. I'd be perfectly happy not using any roux if I can get that flavor.

So, I may try doing a "very roasted" pan of some vegetables like celery and a little onions and peppers to keep it carb light, then take that browned veg mix and blend it with some of the broth for the gumbo and see if it gives me the flavor profile.

A browning sauce may help, but does bring some carbs. Kitchen Bouquet may be worth a try. Walmart sells it for about $3. It costs about 3 grams carbs per teaspoon though...but if it only took a teaspoon for the flavor and color to get right, it would be considered low carb in the serving size.