Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

This week I broke out the always reliable Homesick Texan cookbook to try my hand at some gumbo. Growing up my grandparents lived outside of New Orleans so I've often had a touch of Louisiana in my family dinners, but other than previously posted Shrimp Étouffée I haven't really tried much of it on my own. All in all, it was really time consuming but, in my opinion worth it.

Chopped bell pepper and celery. Frozen okra.

Fresh garlic and thyme, with bay leaves.

30ish minutes for the roux, constant stirring.

Veggies cooked in the completed roux.

Everything in the pot to simmer.

For about two hours we grew hungry over the smell coming from the simmering pot before I added the shrimp. In that two hours the okra pretty much dissolved in a way that you would never know that it was there in the first place. I would have rather had some say intact, maybe I need to use fresh next time.

The end result is not the prettiest of our meals, but I thought it was quite delicious. Laura, on the other hand, didn't quite agree since the shrimp texture and cooked down veggies aren't so much her thing. I might have to save this for bachelor weekends (when I would add some andouille).

Tastier than it looks.

We're back! Now with 100% more salad.

Oh my gosh ya'll - we're no longer living in an internet black hole and once again have high speed internet! So after a 2+ year hiatus Moore Food Please is back.  We're easing back into food blogging (as to not sprain anything), so tonight's recipe is a simple one that mostly consists of chopping and mixing. No hardcore cooking required.  

Chickpea Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Chickpea Salad:
15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 cup corn
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 organic cucumber, peeled & diced
1 organic green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced 

Dressing:
3 T organic lime juice
zest of 2 organic limes
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp ground coriander
2 T fresh cilantro
Dressing recipe adapted from:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cilantro-Lime-Vinaigrette-103849


Instructions:

Wash and chop your veggies.  Put them in a big mixing bowl, like so.

Gather your dressing ingredients and put them in the blender.  Blend for about a minute or until the cilantro is minced.

Pour the dressing over the salad and mix.

Serve and enjoy!