Happy Hormone Gumbo

There’s almost nothing I love more than throwing stuff in a big pot of stock, and after a week of being the sickest I’ve been since COVID, I was craving some feel-good, happy-hormone gumbo.

It’s not the most low effort recipe, but I made it while sick… so you know it can’t be that hard!

Ingredients

Stock:

• 5 cups bone broth

• 1 cup rice, orzo of choice (I use precooked from my Chinese takeout leftovers)

• 1/8 tsp allspice

• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp coriander

• 1/8 tsp paprika

• 1/8 tsp chili pepper

• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Roux

• 1/4 cup avocado oil (or canola or olive, or grapeseed)

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 2-3 stalks chopped celery

• 1 bell pepper chopped

• 1 cup carrots chopped

• 1 medium sweet onion chopped

• 1 poblano pepper chopped

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning blend

*quick hack - get frozen veggie mix or prechopped to minimize labor

1 cup okra chopped (can also be frozen)

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups shredded turkey (or rotisserie chicken)

8 oz andouille sausage

8 oz crab (optional)

2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Bring stock to a simmer in large pot. Add rice or pasta, allspice, sinnamon, coriander, paprika, chili pepper, and black pepper.

2. Make roux. Meanwhile heat oil in large frying pan or skillet. Whisk in flour and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often until roux is very brown (2-4 mins). Add celery, onion, carrots, bell pepper and poblano pepper. Cook stiring occasionally for 3 mins. Add garlic. Cook and stir for 1 min. Add Cajun seasoning blend. Cook and stir for 1 min.

3. Mix roux veggies into broth until combined and thickened. Add tomatoes, turkey, sausage, crab, okra, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to simmer and stir occasionally for 30 mins.

4. Serve

The bone broth base + poultry - especially dark meat - provide great sources of amino acids and minerals for healing and soothing adrenals + boosting egg quality and supporting mitochondria.

The veggies + tomatoes + spices add antiinflammatory protection that also stabilize and restore the body from chronic stress. The ochra adds resistant and fiber starch which is perfect for healthy gut support.

The crab is loaded with thyroid and fertility supporting minerals such as zinc, iodine.

This could be a full meal and makes great leftovers. I know it has a lot of ingredients and feels like a process but its quite simple and can be made even more easily by procuring prechopped, precooked and frozen items that don't require and prep.

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