DAD’S EASY & HEALTHY GUMBO RECIPE

Gumbo with Herbed Quinoa

My Dad is a good ole Southern Boy so I was lucky enough to grow up food like gumbo, fried chicken, okra and fried green tomatoes – although as a kid those green tomatoes freaked me out so I stayed away from them but everything else I was on board with! So, of course when I had the opportunity to create a couple of not-so-fat-tuesday dishes on San Diego Living the first person I had to call was my Dad. They only problem is that is he is somewhere in the middle of the ocean on a giant ship so a phone call was not going to happen. Thankfully he can text and email so I sent out an SOS for his gumbo recipe and he quickly replied.

You see, my Dad is a great cook but never has he been a recipe follower so you can imagine the email I received with his instructions on how to make his gumbo. No measurements, no quantities – just a brain dump of his technique.  I followed his instructions and only made a couple of simple upgrades to make the dish just a little healthier and the outcome was amazing. Steve ate two very large servings last night and told me that this recipe needs to go into our regular circulation of healthy recipe favorites.

I am also incredibly grateful to finally have one of his recipes down on paper to share with you all and my sisters who are both chomping at the bit to get their hands on this recipe.

Here is the cooking demo from San Diego Living where I make the gumbo and a really fantastic shrimp and “grits”. That will recipe will come next week. Stay tuned!

This dish is easy to prepare, is gluten free and great for families. Enjoy!

Dad’s Gumbo and Herbed Quinoa
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 45 minutes. Serves 4-6.
Download Dads Gumbo Printable Recipe Here

¼  cup butter from grass-fed cows (Kerrygold)

¼  cup Gluten Free Flour – I used Bob’s Red Mill Fava and Garbanzo Bean (Buy Here)

2 stalks of celery, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped fresh okra (or look for frozen)

3 cups Bone Broth (Buy Here)

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

¼  cup (or more) of Tony Chachere’s Creole Gumbo Seasoning

2 Andouille style chicken and turkey sausage, sliced (love this brand)

10 – 12 shrimp, peeled and de-veined 

½  bunch of chopped kale

salt to taste

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Melt the butter and then whisk in the flour and cook until it turns a rich brown color. Add the celery, onion, peppers and okra and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Cook for 5 minutes and then add in the rest of the broth, tomatoes, creole seasoining and sausage. Simmer for 30 – 40 minutes minutes.

Next, add the shrimp and kale and let simmer for 10 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.

Serve on a bed of Herbed Quinoa.

HERBED QUINOA

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Soak Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes. Serves 4-6.

1½ cups quinoa, rinsed

juice from 1 lemon

3 cups water or chicken broth

2 cloves of garlic, choped

½ bunch parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

 

Rinse and then soak the quinoa in a bowl of water with the juice of 1 lemon for 30 minutes. This will help break down the phytic acid on the grain making it easier to digest.

Drain the quinoa. Add the quinoa, garlic and water to a pot or a rice cooker. Season with salt and pepper and cook until all iquid is absorbed – about 20 minutes.

Once quinoa is cooked, stir in the parsley and serve with Dad’s Gumbo.