I went down to the Farmer's Market in Mathews a few weekends ago. It was the market's 1-year anniversary and there was a lot of vendors and Cajun music. Chef Richard Curtis from Thibodaux Regional was there, making a big pot of healthy Chicken and Pork Gumbo.
The Cafe' at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center is now offering a variety of healthy Cajun options and is open to the community. Chef Richard shares his recipe for the healthy gumbo below.
Place flour in 400 degree oven on baking pan. Stir every 15 minutes until brown.
In soup pot, spray with pan coating and heat to medium. Add meats and spray top of meat. Sear until browned.
Add onions and spray with pan coating. Stir until browned.
Mix 1 cup of stock with the flour and set aside. Add remaining first stock and vegetables. Bring to a full boil and simmer 25 minutes. Add spices and remaining stock. Simmer 15 minutes.
Mix flour-stock mixture well. Stir into pot and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes more. Add file' and hot sauce.
Add more salt if allowed or desired. Serve with brown rice, if desired.
Calories: 231 Fat: 5 G Protein: 27 G Sodium: 1552 mg Fiber: 1 G
Nutritionals do not include rice. If you are looking to reduce the salt content, use low sodium chicken broth, or even better, make fresh chicken stock.
My great love for Cajun and Creole foods and the traditions unique to this region of the country have influenced my culinary repertoire since the 1980s. Call it inevitable that after extensive travel as a chef, I would find my way to this great Bayou Region. The richness of the food and how deeply it is infused into the local culture is unlike anywhere else. Where else can one find culinary influences of so many distinct cultures including French, German, Spanish, and African cuisines fused together into a new entity?
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center is committed to the health and wellness of the community we serve. Here is where my quest begins: to make our local specialties healthier without losing the flavor, as well as keeping the portion size a "Cajun Portion."
We are in the process of developing and creating recipes for a Cajun Caf� featuring a healthy, natural approach to the cuisine of our region.
We are experimenting and offering a variety of healthy options in our caf�. I invite you to stop by and discuss your thoughts and recipes with me as we focus on being a leader in wellness at Thibodaux Regional.
Boudreaux was sitting at the bar staring at his drink when a large trouble-making biker steps up next to him, grabs his drink and gulps it down in one swig.
The biker asks, "Well, whatcha gonna do about that?"
Boudreaux bursts into tears and says, "I am a complete failure! I got fired today, my car was stolen, I left my wallet in the cab I took home, I found my wife with another man, and then my dog bit me. So I came here to work up the courage to put an end to it all. I buy a drink, I drop a capsule in it and sit here watching the poison dissolve; and then you show up and drink the damn thing."