This time of the year calls for a warm bowl of gumbo and eggnog - probably separate. Get equipped with 1000+ swaps, supplements that make you feel optimal + 7-day detox menu.
Gumbo is often made with all-purpose flour or corn starch in order to get a nice roux (aka the stuff that makes your gumbo thick). However, most people don’t realize that both arrowroot and tapioca are thickeners. If you ever make a soup and it is too thin, slowly add 1 tbsp of tapioca or arrowroot and stir to thicken. I usually get a small bowl and mix 1 tbsp tapioca or arrowroot with 1/4 cup water - let that dissolve then pour into the soup or gumbo.
Now that you have the trick to thickening soups — let’s dive into more ways to make your gumbo (or soups) cleaner. The protein: sausage, chicken, shrimp, scallops, crabmeat.
You should have a copy of those CLEAN proteins….You did get a copy of the NEW SMART (aka clean) SWAPS, right!??? Oh Em Gee!!! I have been awake literally for two weeks (enough sleep to get by, of course) but literally, I am so excited about this extensive list of swaps that were built out WITH a table of contents.
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Let’s keep going…because there is literally SO much to share here to really help you. Are you just fed up and want to start with a detox? So many people restrict or just go to water…that is not fun and does not really work well. Instead, opt for a CLEAN detox with all fresh food. Guarantee lose at least 5 lbs in a week and keep it off!
Let’s go cook now, shall we? Hope your Thanksgiving was amazing and you are very serious about your health. We have one place to live — our bodies. That is it. Take care of it before you are forced to!
Clean Seafood (or meat) gumbo Serves 12
Roux:
3 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
6 tbsp butter or olive oil
2/3 cup seafood stock + 1-2 cups more seafood stock
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
Shrimp / Crab Seasoning:
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp CLEAN creole seasoning (love paul prudhomme)
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
Gumbo:
9 cups seafood stock
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat or claws
2 cups frozen okra
1 tbsp creole seasonings
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
Directions:
In a large bowl, pour 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp CLEAN creole seasoning and1/4 tsp cayenne powder all over the 2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined and 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat or claws. Put into refrigerator while you cook the gumbo.
In a large gumbo pot over medium-high heat, place 3 cups chopped onions, 1 1/2 cups chopped celery, 1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper into a gumbo pot. Top with 6 tbsp cold butter or olive oil (don’t stir yet)
Let the seasonings cook for five minutes and then stir butter.
Continue to cook down onion, celery and bell pepper, stirring every five minutes. After 14 minutes, when the trinity starts to brown, start to stir every two to three minutes to prevent it from burning and sticking to the bottom.
In a small bowl, make the tapioca (or arrowroot) mix which helps makes the roux -by whisking 2/3 cup tapioca (or arrowroot) with 2/3 cup of seafood stock. Whisk until combined. Get 2 tsp salt ready and set both the salt and tapioca mix aside.
When onions, celery and bell pepper caramelizes, around 24 minutes, sprinkle 2 tsp salt over the top. Wait 1 minute, then stir.
Add 2/3 cup of stock to the mixture. Let steam for 30 seconds, then stir.
Whisk in the tapioca or arrowroot mix, and add another 1.5 cups of stock. Whisk for two minutes to prevent any lumps. Use another cup or two of stock to keep roux wet.
Pour the remaining cups of seafood stock into roux. Boil over medium-high heat for 25 minutes. Add 2 cups frozen okra and continue cooking another 15 minutes.
Pour shrimp and crab into the gumbo and continue cooking for approximately 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.
Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper and cayenne, onion, garlic powder), if desired.
Serve over white rice or potato salad.
Substitutions:
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined - 2 lbs of sausage and / or chicken
1 lb crabmeat - you can leave out or use some oysters / clams with a little juice for flavor
seafood stock - can use equal amount chicken stock if making chicken / sausage gumbo
okra - can omit (my kids eat around it but I love the flavor)
1/4 c whiskey (optional) sorghum is cleanest because it is gluten-free
Directions:
In a small saucepan, add 1 can clean coconut milk and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp cloves and cook on low heat until mixture reaches a simmer. Remove from heat.
Allow it to sit for 1 minute, then add in 2 pasture-raised egg yolks and whisk together.
Put saucepan over low heat again, adding in the 2 tbsp maple syrup and continuing to whisk until completely combined.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 cup sorghum whiskey (optional).
Pour into your glass of choice and garnish with a cinnamon stick!
Which rice is better? Explained here. Plants get nutrients from the ground so the soil has to be healthy. If it is not, we are left with dead food that has zero nutrition. Brown rice has phytic acid — is filled with lectins, it wrecks your gut, and it has 80x more arsenic than white rice. White rice will spike your blood sugar more so go for a walk after your meal :)
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Parabens can act like estrogen in the body, which may increase the risk of breast cancer. They may also affect the reproductive system, including sperm production and testosterone levels. Some say that BHT is arguably carcinogenic! Why on earth burn this stuff in our homes and then sniff it?!!! Blows me away.
This CLEAN candle is made with Coconut & Olive Oil Wax and is 100% non-toxic. I love the fact that I burn this candle and then dip my fingers into the wax to use as moisturizer on my skin. It smells incredible, it represents something so special and is so clean. Grab some here this holiday season.
