Look now. I'm going to share with you how our family cooks with roux. Your maw maw or taunte yaya may cook some of these things differently. Its just a suggestion. I will say though, you wont find tomatoes in our gumbo! I'd have to give up my Cajun card on that!

Chicken and sausage gumbo
1.5 lb boneless chicken thighs (my momma would roll over in her grave)
  *use a cut up fryer or hen if you want the real deal
1 lb smoked sausage or andouille
1 cup chopped onion
8-10 ounces of paleo roux (some like light, some like dark)
Cajun seasoning to taste (cause everyone has their own taste. But, if you don't know- start with a TB
3 Qt water

Bring water to a boil and add roux. Stir until completely dissolved, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add onion, chicken, seasoning and sausage. Let simmer over medium heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice, or cauliflower rice (yikes), or drink this deliciousness from the pot and enjoy!

*For seafood gumbo, we substitute 3 lbs of shrimp and crab and a handful of oysters in place of meat. I also use green onion and parsley in my seafood gumbo.

Meatball Stew
1.5 lbs ground beef OR 1.5 lbs of those chicken thighs (sorry momma)
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup roux (I use more like a half cup, but I like pudding, basically)
1.5 Qt water
Cajun seasoning to taste
1 TB of vegetable oil

Season meat with about 2 tsps of seasoning (or salt and pepper if you live north of Mamou) and make into meatballs (about 2oz each). Add oil to your 3qt sauce pan, and brown the meat, turning often. Remove the meat and set aside. Add water, onion, roux and seasoning to the water and stir until dissolved. Let simmer for 15 minutes, then add back the meat. Let this simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. This is traditionally served over rice, but can also be served over cauliflower rice, sweet potato or a shoe sole. It will be just as delicious! Don't really eat a shoe sole, k.

*For shrimp and egg stew, we substitute 1 lb of shrimp for the meat. When simmering towards the end, we crack about 4 raw eggs right into the simmering sauce and cover for the last 10 minutes. Look... don't knock it til you try it! Those Cajun women could make a gourmet meal from nothing! I also garnish shrimp stew with a little parsley and green onion... if you have it.