stack it up

My mom found this recipe for shrimp tostadas in the newspaper and passed it on to me.... who knew that newspapers printed such delicious recipes?!  They are one of our favorites - especially in the spring and summer when you want a fresh meal that doesn't require lots of cooking... just chopping of lots of veggies.  And they are great for guests - everyone loves them and they look pretty with all the colorful veggies.  But beware...once you start piling on the layers, they can get very tall (as you can see in my pic below), which means very messy.  However, I can assure you they are worth the mess.

shrimp and guacamole tostadas

Tostadas:

4 tostada shells * 

1/2 c. guacamole

16 - 20 large precooked shrimp (you could also use chicken or black beans for a no-meat option)

Sauce for shrimp:

6 T plain yogurt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp onion powder

1-2 tsp lime juice (~ 1/2 a lime) 

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Add shrimp and mix until shrimp are coated with sauce.

Slaw topping:

1 c. jicama

1 c. carrots

1 c. snap peas

1 c. red bell peppers

2 T chopped cilantro

lime juice

salt to taste

Cut all veggies unto matchsticks (long thin strips), add cilantro, salt, the juice from one lime + the rest of the lime used to make the yogurt sauce, and stir until combined.

Building your tostada:

Take one tostada shell and layer it with guacamole, shrimp, then veggies.  Take a bite and make a mess!

side note:  You can play around with the veggies in the slaw topping.  The ones in the recipe are a great combination, but I have also used zucchini.  The last time I made these I added mango to the slaw, which added a nice touch of sweet.

*I found out that you make your own tostadas by spraying both sides of corn tortillas with cooking spray and baking at 375 for ~15 minutes, or until crisp, turning once while baking.

pea salad

This was a new creation and I was delighted by the outcome.  I have a little mint growing and always think I need to go out of my box of making mint tea with it, so I thought it would go nicely with some sugar snap peas... and it did!

pea salad with mint, walnuts and feta

salad:

2 c. chopped peas

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. feta

1-2 T chopped fresh mint

dressing:

1 tsp sugar

1 T red wine vinegar

1 T olive oil (or more if the vinegar is too strong for your taste)

squeeze of fresh lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Mix the dressing until combined, pour over salad, stir it up, then eat it up!

summer time favorite

We love tomato, mozzarella salad and have lately starting to eat it with watermelon, which turns out to be a fantastic combination.  I had heard about adding watermelon before, but was always a little skeptical... the tomato and watermelon seemed like an odd combination to me, but the watermelon adds a little sweetness and delicious crunch and juiciness to the salad.  I think we can safely say that it's going to be something we eat regularly this summer!

tomato, basil, watermelon & mozzarella salad

There isn't too much of a recipe for this salad - just add the amounts of each ingredient that you like.  I add about the same amount each of cubed watermelon, halved grape tomatoes, and chunks of mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top with chopped fresh basil.  Stir it up and eat away!

fresh and simple

This dish was so simple, but so tasty.  I think I could eat it everyday.  I love asian food and I love fresh food, so it was the perfect combination for me.

In order to make this dish, you first have to go to Trader Joe's and buy this:

Then you are ready to make this:

Spicy peanut noodles with veggies

Recipe:

1 bag broccoli slaw

1 medium cucumber diced

whole wheat angel hair pasta

spicy peanut vinaigrette (above)

2 T soy sauce

handful of cilantro finely chopped

1 lime

Saute the bag of broccoli slaw in a little spicy peanut vinaigrette for a few minutes until just slightly tender and remove from heat.  Added cooked pasta (I cooked about 3 handfuls), soy sauce, cucumber, cilantro, the juice of 1 lime, and more vinaigrette until moist enough - I used about 1/2 the bottle.  Sprinkle with a little cilantro and eat up!  So fast and so good.

It was room temp when we ate it but it would be good cold too.  Other good additions would be chopped green onions or chopped peanuts.