Healthy Gumbo
This Healthy Gumbo recipe really is amazing. It’s got all the taste of a traditional gumbo, but no gluten or other unhealthy ingredients. This one’s a crowd pleaser every time!
If you are anything like me, after the holidays, all you want to eat is something that doesn’t taste like traditional holiday food. After Thanksgiving, I don’t want anything that resembles turkey, cranberry sauce, etc. After New Years, all I want is something healthy. You get what I mean…
This Healthy Gumbo takes me straight back to New Orleans, which is a place that I love. I love the food, of course, but even more, I love the people. Friendly people, delicious food, fun bars, oysters in the street… what’s not to love. I love foods that bring back fond travel memories and this is a great one.
A pot of gumbo is one of the most comforting things you can make. The aroma, the taste, the Louisiana feels… it’s all so good. And, it has none of the flavors of my traditional holiday foods. And it’s kind of odd, but I find that even people who don’t usually love spicy foods, love this gumbo. You can make it as spicy or as mild as you like, but I like mine fairly spicy so that’s how I make it and nobody complains.
This year, I made a big pot of this Healthy Gumbo after Thanksgiving. I cut up my leftover turkey and tossed that in. On a non-leftovers weekend, it’s also easy to roast some chicken and use that, or even easier: grab a cooked rotisserie chicken and ta-da… an easy-peasy meal awaits.
I like to use pre-cooked sausage to make this soup even easier to prepare. You can use rice in your gumbo if you are a purist, but I like to use cauliflower rice. Honestly, absolutely nobody knew it wasn’t real rice when I served it to them.
And, what is really awesome is that this soup, even though it’s spicy and loaded with goodies, does not upset my digestion because it has no gluten and no other ingredients that upset my digestion.
If you love spice like I do, you should also try my recipe for Spicy Chickpea Turkey And Tomato Stew!
Download my free Healthy Digestion Food Plan ebook now!
Steve loves this Healthy Gumbo so much, he offered to be the model, so you know it’s got to be great!
Here are some of the amazing healing ingredients in this Healthy Gumbo recipe:
Onions are great for your immune system; they are a natural antihistamine. Recently, I recommended that a patient with bronchitis put sliced raw onions in her socks when she went to sleep… she woke up so much better; they actually can rid the body of bacteria. (I know I’ve told you this before, but it really is awesome!) Onion is a superhero in the food world!
Ghee is one of the best fats to cook with. Ghee is a clarified butter that has had the milk solids removed and it is lactose free. And, it has the delicious taste of butter. It has a high smoking point, and it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. I recommend buying organic ghee if possible. It contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease.
Bell peppers help with indigestion. If you are feeling bloated and full from over-eating a lot lately, consuming bell peppers will help reduce this feeling. They are also good for blood circulation and research has shown that they are good for people with a low appetite or anorexia.
Bone broth is filled with bone marrow and essential fatty acids — these things promote optimal brain health. It also contains glycine, which is an amino acid that helps with memory, concentration, stress, and focus. You can make your own bone broth, but you don’t have to anymore. Bone broth is now available in tons of markets. (See the recipe below for the awesome ready-made bone broth I used in this soup recipe.) It’s sold in boxes just like chicken or vegetable broth. The glucosamine in bone broth can reduce inflammation and strengthen the bones. It’s also great for your skin, hair, and nails. This is a great thing to use for a quick soup base, or to just sip on during the day. Sometimes I’ll have a hot cup of bone broth first thing in the morning for a quick healing pick me up.
Hot peppers contain more vitamin C than any other vegetable and they are good at fighting off the common cold. So, if you like spice, as I do, use a generous amount of whatever hot pepper seasonings you like. In the recipe below, I put down Creole Seasoning as an ingredient, but oftentimes I will make my own and amp up the cayenne and smoked paprika. The main component of hot peppers is capsaicin. Capsaicin actually works with your body and mind to make you feel happy. It’s also good for reducing swelling and can relieve arthritic joint pain. If you have high blood pressure, check with your doctor before eating too many hot peppers because they can actually raise the blood pressure in some people.
| Healthy Gumbo | Print |
- 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 12-oz fully-cooked spicy sausage links (I used chorizo), sliced
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 Tbs ghee (or can use unsalted butter)
- 5 Tbs gluten-free flour (I used white flour, but I assume other flours would work well too)
- 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, diced or shredded
- 1 Tbs Creole seasoning
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 qt chicken bone broth
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
- 1 bay leaf
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add the sausage,
- Saute, stirring often, until the sausage browns a bit.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a bowl.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, about 5 mins.
- Using a slotted spoon, add this mixture to the sausage in the bowl.
- Add 4 Tbs ghee or butter to the pot. Whisk in the flour. Continue whisking for about 6 mins, or until the flour gets to be a medium brown color.
- Now add the sausage and veggies back into the pot. Stir to combine. Add the Creole seasoning and the smoked paprika, and stir well.
- Add the cooked chicken or turkey and stir to coat.
- Add the bone broth and the bay leaf to the pot.
- Stir in the cauliflower rice.
- Cover and simmer 10 mins. Then uncover and simmer 10 mins.
- Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
