EASY TURKEY SAUSAGE-CHICKEN GUMBO

1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour or equivalent amount of your favorite low/no carb substitute

1 can (14-oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-in cubes
1/2 large red bell pepper
1/2 large green bell pepper
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
1 celery stalk, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 cup water
3 cups plain cooked brown rice*
1 pkg (10-oz) frozen cut okra
1/2 lb smoked turkey sausage cut into slices
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
In a heavy-duty Dutch oven (4 to 6-quart size), cook and stir the flour over medium heat approximately 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring constantly!  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  Slowly whisk the broth into the flour.  Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly.  Add the chicken, bell peppers, onion, celery, garlic, seasoning, and water.

Bring to mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir often during cooking.

Stir in the rice, okra, sausage, and tomato; return just to boiling; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes.

Ladle into serving bowls.
Yield: About 8 servings of 1 cup each

*If you prefer, you can use a pouch of cooked brown rice (14.8-oz size).
This gumbo has a ratio of 26 g carbs and 18 g protein per serving.

 

This is a file photo of a similar recipe.

PORK GUMBO

1 (1 lb) pork loin roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

nonstick cooking spray
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp white whole-wheat flour
1 cup water
1 can (16-oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg (10-oz) frozen cut okra
1 pkg (10-oz) frozen succotash
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Spray a Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Add the pork; cook, stirring, 4 minutes or until browned. Remove pork from pan.

Add the butter to the Dutch oven; stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, until roux is browned; whisk in the water.

Add the pork back into the pan along with the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and discard before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

This is the file photo.

LOUISIANA-STYLE GUMBO

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsp Creole seasoning
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cans (14-oz each) low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
1/2 to 3/4 lb andouille sausage, 1/4-inch slices
1 1/2 cups black-eyed peas
1 lb peeled, large raw shrimp
hot brown rice* for serving

In a soup pot or Dutch oven heat the oil over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in the flour and cook 5 to 8 minutes, whisking constantly, or until the mixture is chocolate colored but not burnt.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the onion, bell pepper, celery, Creole seasoning and garlic.  Cook the mixture while stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.  Slowly stir in the chicken broth.

Add the chicken, sausage, and black-eyed peas.  Turn the heat back up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.  Once gumbo starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook another 5 minutes or just until the shrimp turns pink.

To serve, ladle into bowls and serve topped with or over the brown rice.
*Rice may be omitted completely or you may use cauliflower rice, if desired.

 

File Photo