Recipe: Shrimp Creole (with baked roux, low fat)

SHRIMP CREOLE (LOW FAT)

"Shrimp Creole is a very traditional Cajun dish often made with the ubiquitous Cajun roux. With a great deal of trepidation, I modified this recipe to use baked roux. It was the first time I made anything with the baked roux. Worked great."

1 tablespoon Baked Roux (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup water, divided use
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced celery
5 oz Rotel tomatoes, (1/2 of a 10 ounce can)*
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1 lb shrimp, peeled, plus maybe 3 more
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup hot cooked brown rice (for serving)

Reconstitute roux with 1 tablespoon water; set aside.

Saute onions, bell pepper and celery in liquid Butter Buds (or a small amount of olive oil) until tender crisp.

Add roux mixture, tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaf and remaining 1/2 cup water. Cook on medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add shrimp and green onion; cook until shrimp are done, about 7 minutes (DO NOT OVERCOOK). Season as desired with black pepper and lemon.

Serve over cooked rice.

*If you really like it spicy, use the whole can of Rotel tomatoes.

Note from recipe: "This is a new twist to an old standby since the amount of roux is so small."

BAKED ROUX
"Lots of Louisiana recipes start with "First you make a roux. "
The traditional roux is a mixture of about equal parts of oil and flour browned to a certain point. A baked roux can substitute nicely in some recipes."

About 1/3 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Put about 1/3 cup flour in a pie pan or cake pan which has been sprayed with PAM.

Bake at 400 degrees stirring frequently until roux is caramel colored and just begins to have a burnt smell. Don't bake it any longer!

Store roux in refrigerator. When recipe calls for roux add an equal measure of water to whatever amount of roux is called for in the recipe.

Source: Lou B. Parris