Turkey Gumbo

On Sunday we celebrated Bunny's birthday with a small family-only birthday party. Bunny's birthday is in March, and Hammy's is in April so two birthdays add up quick! We had a talk with the girls and came to the conclusion that we'd rather spend the extra money we would have spent on two elaborate all-out birthdays on an adventure.  We voted, so it wasn't' just me not wanting to plan 2 big birthdays a month apart (but no lie that was part of the appeal!) So in May we'll take our savings and go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Long story short I made a nice Linner (lunch/dinner for those not in the know). A nice oven roasted turkey, peas with onions and bacon, honey roasted carrots, salad, and of course a nice big sprinkle dinosaur birthday cake just like the bday girl asked for.

Unfortunately, we had a thermometer error and the turkey came out of the oven too soon. When we went to cut into it the breast was still partially raw!!!! OH NOES!! THE TRAVESTY! We couldn't hold up the party on the damned turkey so we put the bird back in to cook and I pulled out the leftover Lechon Asado and heated it up. Everyone loved the leftovers and it paired surprisingly well with the sides. Whew! Crisis averted!

But what do we do with a WHOLE uneaten turkey?  Well, I froze two bags of meat to eat later and left out a few pounds for leftovers and to make dinner with this week.

That brings us to this marvelous Turkey Gumbo. Let me tell you, It. Was. Delicious. Better than I even imagined. I hope you give it a shot. You'll stand in front of the stove for a long while, but OMG it's worth it.

 Here is a picture of Birdie's plate before she dug in.

Turkey Gumbo

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper
2 Cups Chopped Yellow Onion
1 Package (4 links) Sweet Chicken Sausage (I use Al Fresco Sweet Chicken Apple)
3 Cans Chicken Stock
1 Tsp Cayenne Powder ***
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Paprika
2 Cups Cubed Turkey (I used breast, but dark would work well here too)

*** My family doesn't enjoy spicy things like I do. Feel free to up the spice on this! If I were only making this for me I'd use a cajun seasoning and go to town! But it is still delicious as is!***

1. In a large heavy pot or dutch oven combine the oil and GF AP flour over medium heat.
2. Stir slowly and constantly to make a dark brown roux, about 25 minutes. It should be the color of chocolate when it's done. 
3. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and sausage. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables are very soft. If the roux/veg mix is too dry you can add a splash of the chicken stock to get things moving. 
4. Add the cayenne, garlic, and paprika and stir well. 
5. Once the vegetables are soft add all of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. This is when you'll want to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all that yummy stuff off the bottom. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. 
6. Add in the turkey and cook for another 15 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Then skim off the fat that has risen to the surface.
8. Enjoy! For the fam. I served this over rice, which isn't bariatric or paleo approved. I had it on its own and it was just as good!

She had seconds of this one!

Here it is in the pot before we dug in.