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LOWFAT CHICKEN GUMBO

Gumbo is a traditional old Louisiana meal. People from all over the world have heard of gumbo, especially the New Orleans style of seafood gumbo made with okra. But there are actually several kinds of gumbo, one of them being chicken gumbo from the south central Louisiana area. There is no okra in this recipe. When I was a kid, we usually made this meal twice a year. After Thanksgiving and after Christmas, using left over turkey meat from our holiday meals. The main component of gumbo is the roux. Well, traditional roux is very fattening, so I have used the non fat roux developed by my father. It is a very suitable replacement for the grease and flour roux that we used to make.

Ingredients



1 heaping plate of left over turkey meat or 1 bag of chicken breast strips (about 2 pounds)

2 - large yellow onions , chopped

4 cups green bell pepper, chopped

5 or 6 cloves of garlic, chopped, if you like garlic (the gumbo will be good even without the garlic)

1/2 a package of fresh of mushrooms

2 bunches of chopped green onions

1 cup chopped celery, including the leaves

enough cans of 100% fat free chicken broth to bring level of the gumbo up to two inches from the top of pot

1 bunch of parsely - no stems

Kitchen Bouquet and a couple of chicken boullion cubes

1 package of Healthy Choice smoked sausage (this is an additional ingredient to add if you like sausage. I love it. Try to find lowfat andouille if you live in Louisiana.)



Directions

This requires a 5 - 6 quart pot



Off to the side prepare the "non fat roux" by mixing three packets of McCormicks brown gravy mix with a tablespoon of flour. Add enough nonfat chicken broth to create a slurry and add enough Kitchen Bouquet to darken the mixture to the color of dark cinnamon and put aside. Thaw the chicken breast fillets and cut each one in half. This makes them a little more than bite size. Brown in the PAM sprayed pot, stirring and turning often to prevent sticking. Do this on a medium to medium low heat, since the PAM may tend to burn more readily than if you were using grease. If using left over turkey meat, slice to a manageable size for a large soup bowl. When the fillets are lightly browned on both sides, stir in the chopped vegetables and about a half of the can of the fat free chicken broth and your prepared roux, cover the pot and simmer for about five minutes to wilt the vegetables. Add the chicken or turkey. If you like sausage add it now. Be aware that the sauasage will elevate the fat content of the gumbo quite a bit. Try and buy the leanest sausage that you can find and brown it seperately in a skillet with Pam. This will leech out some of the grease. Pat it dry with a paper towel before you add it to the gumbo. Healthy Choice sells some lean sausages. Now add non fat chicken broth till the level is two inches from the top of the pot. Bring to a boil and stir to blend the roux and broth. I usually add a couple of table spoons of onion powder, garlic powder, three or four whole bay leaves(do not eat these) and a couple of dashes of worchester sauce. This intensifies the flavor. When the ingredients are well mixed and heated up, cut heat down to low and let simmer for several hours stirring occasionaly. Serve over rice. Gumbo file sprinkled over a serving of gumbo and rice is a delight. It is a seasoning made of powdered sasafras leaves. Also, a dash or two of Tobasco Sauce in your bowl will spice up your meal and add great flavor.





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