GLUTEN-FREE Organic Chicken Sausage Gumbo

This recipe was born out of a desire to have a delicious -authentic- alternative to traditional cajun gumbo... one that would satisfy the pickiest cajun pallet, while perserving a timeless tradition, and maintaining my standard of healthy eating - NO COMPROMISE!

With so many having intolerances to gluten and the fact that wheat flour registers as sugar in your blood stream, I decided to try my hand at a gluten free gumbo and it worked! I settled in on using straight garbanzo bean flour as my roux flour and it stirred up beautifully! 

For those of you wondering why I didn't use an all-purpose gluten free flour the answer is simple. Some of the flour used in the combination was undesirable to me albeit guten free. Rice flours and corn flours are grains and register as sugar in your system... potato starch/flour does the same...

Being a proponent of the Maximized Living Nutrition plans, I wanted something that could be eaten in small amount -even on the ADVANCED plan and legumes are just that so, garbanzo bean flour fit the bill and presented like a charm!

Here it is:

Organic Gluten-Free Chicken Sausage Gumbo

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

roux:

6 tbsp.  grapeseed oil

1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. garbanzo bean flour

gumbo:

1 1/2 lb organic chicken on the bone (I like chicken thighs)

1 lb. organic Homemade Andoulle Sausage recipe (below) 

1 tbsp. John Besh's Creole Seasoning recipe (below)

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 medium onion, processed

1/2 organic green bell pepper, processed

2 organic celery stalks, processed

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 roux  recipe

2 quarts organic chicken stock

Directions:

-Make your roux using a cast iron skillet -Combine oil and flour over medium heat -stir until peanut butter brown -DO NOT leave the mixture and stir constantly -15 minutes

-Turn off heat and set aside

-In large pot, brown sausage, trinity veggie mix and seasonings

-Once veggies are translucent- add roux and combine

-Pour in chicken stock

-Bring back to a boil

-Add chicken to pot and simmer until chicken is falling off the bone

-Adjust seasoning to taste

-Sprinkle in green onion

-Serve alone OR per modified tradition with a scoop of brown rice and a boiled egg - add a green onion meslin green salad and Remoulade Dressing to make it complete

Homemade Andouille Sausage:

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground organic turkey

1 3/4 tsp. grape seed oil

1 tbsp. organic cream

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 3/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

2 garlic cloves, minced OR 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. diced onion OR 1/4 tsp. onion powder

2 gr. onion

3/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. parsley

1/4 tsp. thyme

Pinch of oregano

Pinch of allspice

Pinch of sage

Directions:

-Brown all ingredients and stir into gumbo

John Besh's Creole Seasoning Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. celery salt

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

1 tbsp, coarse sea salt

1 tbsp, black pepper

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 tsp, cayenne

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

Directions:

-Stir together and store in air tight container

makes 1/2 cup

*** In the last little bit I have been making my gumbo with chicken and okra (1-1 1/2c. chopped fresh or frozen) and no sausage but, I have included the seasonings from the sausage recipe (eliminate the ground turkey and grape seed). I have also stirred in spinach and kale greens and a splash of pepper sauce -DELICIOUS! 

One happy cajun girl and no guilt or sluggish feeling to boot!!!! It is AMAZING!

Happy Healthy Eating!

A Perfect Pairing...For This South Louisiana Girl!

Dinner this evening was a throw-back to my roots!
Being from South Louisiana, the cajun and creole flavors run deep in my food heritage and tonight's meal was no exception(Sorry for the lack of pictures...it was gone that fast)!

Here was the Menu (and recipes to follow):


Creole Baked White Fish with Seasoned Brown Rice,
Roasted Yellow Squash and Louisiana Style Mustard Slaw


Creole Baked White Fish

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Favorite White fish filets enough for number of people you wish to serve

sea salt

dried thyme

paprika

cayenne

all spice

a pat of organic unsalted butter for each fillet

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Place filets on a parchment lined baking sheet 

-Sprinkle each filet -on both sides- with a light dusting of each spice; be careful with the cayenne unless you like it really spicy…

-Top each filet with a pat of butter

-Place in preheated oven and bake until fish flakes (around 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish)

Seasoned Brown Rice

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. seasoned organic chicken stock (I season with sea salt and garlic powder to taste)

1 tbsp. organic unsalted butter

2 c. instant brown rice (you can use regular just adjust your chicken stock and rice measurements accordingly)

1 diced green onion

1/8 tsp. celery seed

Directions:

-Follow instructions for cooking rice; replacing water with chicken stock -adding in onion, celery seed and butter

-Fluff and serve

Serves 4

Roasted Yellow Squash

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Yellow squash, cut into wedges -enough to feed the number of people you are serving

Sea salt

Garlic powder

Pepper

grape seed oil

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Toss squash wedges with a generous amount of seasons and a light drizzle of grape seed oil

-Spread onto a baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes; until tender

Louisiana Style Mustard Slaw

From Kristi's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 package pre-shredded angel hair cabbage

1/2 c. homemade mayo

2 1/2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1/4 + 1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. xylitol or 1 tsp. raw organic honey (to taste)

Directions:

-Combine all ingredients and serve -you can chill for a bit if you like it cold

Bon Appetit!

Organic Cajun!?!

      On first blush, "organic" and "cajun" in the same sentence feels a bit oxymoron-ish and to some it likely borders on heresy...but I have been in the mood for going back to my roots today -not to mention several folks clamoring for a good ol' recipe remade... so here goes!
      I've said previously- I am a cajun girl whose culinary heritage, albeit tasty, is frocked with delectable dishes that merit no health benefit whatsoever, but they hold such a strong place in my heart that I have decided to revisit them from my new perspective.
     The hard part about the cajun tradition is the "tool box" itself! The ingredients column of the most beloved recipes read like the "foods to avoid list" in every "How to do Healthy" nutrition book around. Case in point-pork & shellfish...both of which are staples in the good Cajun's diet but, are classified as "bottom feeders" on the healthy nutrition scale- biblically deemed as "unclean" and known to be the trash collectors of land and sea and even if they were to be farmed or cultivated in a "clean" manner -they are being fed grain in that process -which is not what they were created to eat and that turns toxic in their systems and in turn rancid in ours - NOT GOOD!
     That being said, I will ask the tried and true to bare with me -this is an evolutionary culinary feat and a process at that...some substitutions and alterations have been made but, I think the end result will be pleasing and even satisfying...you be the judge!

Here is the step by step:

Organic Chicken & Okra Gumbo
From Kristi's Kitchen

Every good gumbo starts out with a roux (pronounced roo as in Kanga)
Roux is a combination of oil and flour that is cooked in a cast iron skillet or pot until a rich peanut butter color is achieved. Traditionally, it is vegetable oil and AP flour that make up this combination -both of which are ABSOLUTELY NOTs in healthy nutrition so, we will substitute fresh milled whole soft wheat flour and grapeseed oil...these do the job very nicely and there is no flavor profile difference at all!

Roux:

3/4 c. grapeseed oil
1 1/4 c. fresh milled soft whole wheat flour (sprouted is best)

-Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet
-Slowly whisk flour into hot oil
-Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture turns a nice rich peanut butter color (about 15-20 minutes)

Whatever you do -DO NOT walk away from this and DON'T stop stirring -commit the time and it will turn out beautifully! This step can be done several days in advance -it keeps fantastically in the refrigerator...this recipe makes about 3/4 cup of roux

Next:

Combine 1 medium onion, 1/2 organic green bell pepper, 2 organic celery stalks, and 2 green onions in a food processor and process until minced (this is the "Trinity" -the center piece of all cajun recipes)

Place minced veggies in a large dutch oven or 6-8 quart pot with 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil and 1/2 -1 c. fresh or frozen chopped okra.

Stew veggies down until they are translucent and okra is tender and broken down a bit...

At this point add in 1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. of your roux and stir into your cooked veggies

Add:

2 quarts organic chicken stock
1 tbsp. creole seasoning mix (my favorite is John Besh's combination -see link below)
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried basil
2 1/4 tsp. sea salt (depending on your stock and your taste you may need a bit less or more so start out with one teaspoon and add up in small increments)

Taste for seasoning and adjust at this point...

Once seasoned to your liking, stir in 1 1/2 lb. of bone-in organic chicken (I like dark meat here -I typically use legs but, it would work just as well with breast meat)

Simmer for 20-30 minutes on medium-low heat; until chicken is falling of the bone
Remove the bones, taste for seasoning-adjust if needed and serve over a small scoop of brown rice, YES- I said brown (and I'm not talking about dirty!)

SIDE NOTE: white rice is the traditional side of just about every cajun meal, so to ask a true blooded cajun to deviate to brown rice... well, is like putting "Organic" and "Cajun" in the same sentence!

BUT...

If this cajun can do it -you can too, Sha!

Let me know what you think and if anyone has a source for ORGANIC BEEF andouille style sausage please let me know...

Happy Eating!


John Besh's Creole Seasoning Spice Blend:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Basic-Creole-Spices-356852