Shrimp Tostadas

Bring the taste of coastal Mexico to your dinner table with these easy to make tostadas.

Ingredients:
Prepared tostada shells
1 pound cooked shrimp
2 cups of shredded iceberg lettuce
¼ cup of chopped cilantro
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can of refried beans, any style
Salsa

Preparation:
Coarsely chop the shrimp.
Mix the shredded lettuce with the cilantro.
Cook the refried beans in the microwave 4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.
Place the tomatoes in a bowl, the onions in another, and the cheese in a third bowl.
Top the tostada shells with refried beans, then the shrimp, then some cheese.
Add the lettuce, tomatoes and onion on top.
Let each person add salsa to taste on top.


More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

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Quick and Simple Spanish Paella

The ingredient list is long, but it’s mostly things you should have in the pantry already, with the exception of the sausage and seafood.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
½ pound linguica sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 cups of rice
4 cups of chicken broth
¼ teaspoon of saffron
1 pound of shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1/2 pound of bay scallops
12-18 mussels, scrubbed
¼ cup of chopped parsley
1 package of frozen peas

Preparation:
Cook the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the olive oil until the onion gets tender.
Remove the onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
Add the linguica and chicken to the pan and cook until well done.
Add the tomatoes and spices to the pan and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Cook the rice in the chicken broth with the saffron while the other food simmers.
Stir the rice into the meat mixture.
Add the frozen peas, shrimp, and stir into the paella.
Heat through about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and cook for 5 minutes longer.
Srpinkle parsley over the top.
Serve with Sangria if you desire.

Photo/MJ LaFlaca on Flickr

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Lemony Shrimp and Risotto

This little one pot meal proves that one pot cooking doesn't have to be boring or tasteless. Definitely choose a light white for this close to gourmet shrimp and risotto dish, such as a Pinot Grigio or a Reisling.

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked risotto(also called arborio rice)
1 cup of white table wine
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of butter
2 pounds of large shrimp or prawns, deveined
2 cups of fresh green beans (frozen, if fresh is unavailable, or use snow peas)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed, or 1 tablespoon of crushed organic garlic from a jar.
1 fresh lemon
Fresh ground pepper

Preparation
Cook the risotto according to package instructions, replacing the water with wine and broth. Here is my article about how to cook risotto.
While the risotto is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook and stir the shrimp in the butter until it is pink and done.
Add the green beans to the pan and continue to cook and stir.
Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the lemon juice over the shrimp and green beans.
Put the risotto in a large bowl.
Spoon the shrimp and green beans on top of the risotto.
Grind fresh black pepper over the top.
Garnish with lemon wedges from the remaining half lemon.

Here's another yummy Italian recipe with lemon. Lemon Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli. 

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Choose some great white wines. Anything But Chardonnay - 6 Whites and $0 shipping.

Scallops and Shrimp with Green Rice

Peas and Carrots




Ingredients:
½ lb of shrimp, cleaned and deveined
½ lb of scallops, rinsed and dried
¼ cup Italian dressing
1 cup of parsley
¼ cup of sunflower seeds
1 clove of garlic crushed
¼ cup oil
2 cups of long grain rice
1 pkg frozen peas and carrots

Preparation:
Put the shrimp and scallops into a zip top plastic bag with the Italian dressing. Let them marinate while preparing the rice and the parsley mixture.
Cook the rice according to the package directions.
Put the parsley, garlic, and sunflower seeds in a food chopper with the ¼ cup of oil.
Pulse until the mixture is chopped into a green paste.
Cook the shrimp and scallops on the indoor grill until they are browned.
Cook the peas and carrots in the microwave.
Stir the parsley mixture into the cooked rice.
Serve the shrimp and scallops over the top of the green rice with the peas and carrots on the side.

Shrimp Stir Fry with Pasta and Snow Peas

This quick and easy dinner cooks up in about 15 minutes. It’s perfect for a busy day. If you don't like spicy meals, delete the hot pepper oil and the pepper pods.

Ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat or enriched rotini pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp hot pepper oil (optional)
1 clove of crushed garlic
6-8 dried red pepper pods
1 lb shrimp, deveined and cleaned
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ head of green cabbage, sliced into thin strips
1 lb of snow peas, fresh is best but frozen will do

Preparation:
Boil water for the pasta and cook according to directions.
Fry the shrimp, garlic, and dried pepper pods in the oil until the shrimp is cooked through. Season with cayenne.
Remove the shrimp from the pan and stir fry the cabbage and snow peas in the oil.
Add the shrimp to the vegetables.
Drain the rotini and toss the shrimp and vegetables with the pasta.

Shrimp and Grits Dinner

This evening we wanted something light and quick to prepare. Shrimp and grits came to mind, along with a salad made with tomatoes and peppers from our garden. It took about 15 minutes to prepare, start to finish. I used chicken broth that I had saved in the freezer.



Shrimp and Grits

1 lb shrimp, deveined and precooked
4 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp Tabasco, or 1 tsp Creole seasoning
1/2 cup chicken broth (more if you cook the grits in it.)
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 1/2 cups grits
3 cups of chopped salad greens
1 chopped yellow, red, or green pepper
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
Croutons

Preparation:
Toss the ingredients for the salad.
Boil water for the grits, and cook them according to the package directions.
Saute the onions and garlic in the butter.
Add the chicken broth, shrimp, and Tabasco or Creole seasoning.
Allow the shrimp to cook until it's completely heated through, about 3 minutes.
Place some grits on a plate. Scoop the shrimp out of the pan with a slotted spoon and place on top of the grits.
Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Sprinkle croutons on the salad.

This light dinner tastes wonderful paired with a chilled Pinot Grigio.

Shrimp with Feta Cheese

Shrimp with Feta Cheese
Caesar Salad

This is my favorite quick dinner for a hot summer day. It's a perfect way to use some of the tomatoes and basil from your garden. It makes a huge amount of food, so you might want to consider having some friends over for dinner when you prepare it. Serve it with a chilled, crisp, white wine and good conversation.

Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimp, (I usually buy the shrimp precooked so I don’t have to shell and devein.)
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups of chopped tomatoes (You can use a 28 ounce can, but fresh is most delicious!)
3-4 medium sized leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1 sprig of fresh oregano, chopped
1 small bunch of parsley for garnish
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup of organic chicken broth
1 can of sliced black olives
Crumbled feta cheese
1 pound of angel hair pasta

Ingredients for the salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce
Grated parmesan cheese
Croutons
Caesar salad dressing (Homemade or store bought.)

Preparation:
Put water on to boil for the pasta.
Cook the onions and garlic in oil.
Add the tomatoes, the fresh chopped herbs, and the chicken broth. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the herbs and tomatoes are soft.
Cook the pasta as directed on the package.
Cut up the romaine for the salad. Toss with dressing to coat the lettuce.
Add the shrimp and olives to the tomato mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Drain the pasta. Serve the shrimp over the pasta and sprinkle with cheese.
Put the croutons on the salad and top with grated parmesan.