Instructions: Make a roux with oil and flour by mixing them over medium heat in a deep saucepan, stirring constantly until it becomes a rich brown color. Set aside. Coat non-stick pan with Pam olive oil-flavored spray and cook onions, garlic, green pepper, and celery until wilted - about 10 minutes - then add frozen okra and cook until it starts to "goop up". Add tomatoes and other seasonings with about a quart of water. (The mixture should look more like soup than stew at this point.) Bring mixture to a medium boil for twenty-five minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add crabmeat and oysters. Crabmeat is already cooked and oysters will be "curled" or cooked through by the time it gets to the table.

File (pronounced "fee lay") powder can be used to add a little thickening to the finished gumbo but if it unavailable, it will not be missed.

Serve over cooked brown Basmati rice in bowls (pasta bowls make a good substitute for gumbo bowls). Toast crusty french bread that can be

"sopped" or dipped into the juice of the gumbo instead of using any butter or margarine. Add a fruit salad for a complete meal suitable for even the most discerning guests. (They wont guess this is low-fat, so dont tell!)

Servings: 6 to 8

CHOLESTEROL BLITZ, by Leslie C. Norins, MD, PhD and Rainey Norins

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