Quesadillas de Camarones (Shrimp Quesadillas)

As I watched The Pioneer Woman on the Food Channel this morning, I realized that we have not had shrimp in quite some time and since it is my favorite food, I'm craving it and have posted lots of recipes that include shrimp lately!

These quesadillas look awesome!  One of the things I love about this recipe is the opportunity to vary the ingredients. Pork or chicken would also work well with this recipe. 

The Captain and I love spicy texmex type of food and the combination of ingredients is perfect for our taste. Sometimes we make our own tortillas to make these type of dishes extra special.  Try it sometime when you have some extra time on your hands . . . you won't be sorry!

Ingredients

• Flour Tortillas
• 12 whole Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• 8 ounces, fluid Mexican Red Sauce
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper
• 2 cups Cheese, Grated (Monterey Jack Is Best)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Pour red sauce over shrimp. Set aside.

Chop vegetables into large pieces. Heat skillet over high heat and add olive oil.

Cook vegetables over high heat until they start to get brown/black. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Return skillet to high heat, then dump in the shrimp with the sauce. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until shrimp is opaque. Add in a little water if the sauce gets dry. 

Remove from skillet and chop into bite-size pieces.

In a separate skillet, heat butter. Place a tortilla in the skillet, then layer on ingredients: cheese, vegetables, and shrimp. Top with a little more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook on both sides, adding butter before flipping to the other side so the tortilla isn’t overly dry.

Remove from skillet and slice into wedges. Serve with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole—whatever you’d like!


Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Shrimp Scampi from Ina Garten

Shrimp Scampi is a definite treat in this house with shrimp being my favorite food!

Doesn't that look delicious?  Beautiful presentation . . .

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved
SHOW: Barefoot Contessa
EPISODE: Italian Every Time


Ingredients

• 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. 

Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. 

Serve with lemon wedges.

Easy Corn Fritters

Corn is one of my favorite foods, so naturally corn fritters are something I love. You will find many variations of the recipe on this blog!

This recipe comes from Mr. Food, whose recipes never let me down.

I can make a meal from a plate of these little jewels :)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 (14-3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (thawed if frozen)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, or more as needed

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add eggs and salsa; mix well. Stir in both corns.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil . Drop batter into hot skillet 1 tablespoonful at a time and cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden, turning fritters halfway through cooking. Remove to a covered platter.

Add another tablespoon oil to skillet. When hot, repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed, until all batter is used.




Photo and recipe source 

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

A delicious twist to traditional stuffed peppers!

Recipe and photo source

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 4 -6 bell peppers
• 1 (19 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 -16 ounce) jar salsa
• shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream

Directions

Combine beef, onion, seasoning mix and egg in a large bowl.

Add rice and mix well.

Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membrane.

Spread tomatoes on the bottom of an ovenproof 12 X 9 inch baking dish. The liquid from the tomatoes will reduce during cooking so if (like me) you like lots of sauce, add about a cup of water. This also helps make the peppers softer.

Place peppers, cut side up, on top of the tomatoes.

Spoon beef mixture into peppers, mounding as necessary.

Top each pepper with salsa.

Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 40-45 minutes or until beef is cooked thoroughly and peppers are soft.

Cover each pepper with cheese and return to oven, under the broiler, until the cheese melts- less than a minute, so watch carefully!

Serve with sour cream and additional salsa.

Nutritional Facts for Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Serving Size: 1 (398 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

Calories 435.7

 

Calories from Fat 120

27%

Total Fat 13.3 g

20%

Saturated Fat 5.1 g

25%

Cholesterol 120.2 mg

40%

Sodium 1455.9 mg

60%

Total Carbohydrate 50.0 g

16%

Dietary Fiber 7.4 g

29%

Sugars 11.7 g

47%

Protein 30.4 g

60%