Rebirth of the blog, ready to nom: Veggie gumbo with brown rice

After more than a year of dormancy, I've decided to resurrect the blog.
This past year has brought a lot of changes to my life — some good, some not so good. But through it all, my love of writing and documenting the world around me has stuck.
I'm taking that love of writing and combining it with another passion: food. Even looking back on my travel posts, most of what I wrote about was food. It's the best way to experience the soul and the history of a culture. In my free time, I've been doing a lot more cooking and am looking for an outlet to share those escapades with others. When I discover a good recipe or dish I find all I want to do is give someone else a taste.
I've always been a foodie, adventurous and willing to give anything a try. And there's one food movement I find fascinating.
I recently watched the documentary Forks Over Knives, a film following two doctors through their research surrounding the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.

Some of the material from the film, coupled with my mostly sedentary desk job and stubbornly unbudging waist line, really got me thinking about using food as my medicine. No, I don't have any crippling diseases, nor am I fighting morbid obesity.
But let's be blunt, college was not kind to my ass. Or my hips. And I'm rocking a mini-keg rather than a stomach six-pack.
So I'm looking to shift my foodie focus on more fruits, veggies and whole-foods while exploring my culinary soul. Now I'm not ruling out the occasional savory steak or creamy cheesecake (I am only human), but I'm looking to expand my food world beyond fried euphoria.
So join me fellow foodies. The best way to get to know someone is over a delicious meal — let's get to know each other :)

My first published endeavor: veggie gumbo with brown rice, a hearty and spicy dish that proves you don't need meat to feel full and satisfied after eating it. I love anything cajun and spicy, so I was a little more liberal with the heat, giving the gumbo a little extra kick.
I chopped the veggies is larger, meatier pieces so the dish would have a heavier feel to it. Pepper might be one of my favorite vegetables, so I used three kinds, which also adds a fantastic color to the gumbo — I'm always eating with my eyes first.

Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy free

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 small yellow squash, chopped
1 15 oz. can chick peas
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of instant brown rice

Pour head olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add in garlic and sauté for a minute, add in peppers, seasoning generously with salt and black pepper. Continue to cook for about five minutes.
Add in squash, tomatoes, chick peas, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and cajun seasoning. Fill the diced tomato can with water with water and add to pot twice, about 20 oz of water.
Stir and bring to a boil. Add in brown rice, cover and lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes.
Romove lid and stir. Simmer uncovered until rice is tender and fully cooked.

Consider your own recipe alterations. Feel free to use any kind of bean you like, I've seen kidney and black beans instead of chick peas. Also, if you want to go non-veggie, add chicken sausage instead of yellow squash.

Happy nomming!