Shrimp Tostadas, Another Dump Recipe

This dump recipe got a “This is fun!” rating from my husband!  I’ll be making it again.  Maybe I need to change the name “dump recipe” to “Jerry-rigged recipe”, but that would be disparaging to all the Jerrys in the world, wouldn’t it?  Today I’m going to give you two recipes.  One recipe is my inspiration and the second recipe is my successful, Jerry-rigged recipe (translation: the recipe made with what I had in my cabinets and frig).  The real recipe is from Eat What You Love and Lose from Family Circle magazine.  This is a recipe book that I stole from my mom on my last trip home.  I love recipe books and have finally realized that with each recipe book is the irrational belief that the new book comes with a chef.  It’s not really true, but I fall for the idea with every new book.  So here we go with the real recipe.

The Real Recipe

Corn-Shrimp Tostadas

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Nonstick cooking spray

¾ teaspoon salt

1 can corn kernels, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

¾ pound cooked, shelled shrimp, chopped

2 small jalapeno chiles, cored, seeded and chopped

½ small red onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped freish cilantro

1 teaspoon sugar

½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise dressing

1 tablwespoon water

1/8 teaspoon liquid hot-pepper sauce

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place tortillas in single layer on 2 baking sheets.  Coat with cooking spray.  Flip tortillas over, coat with spray.

2.  Bake to 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned, flipping tortillas over once.  Transfer to wire rack.  Sprinkle each with pinch of salt, ¼ teaspoon total.  Let cook completely.

3.  Mix corn kernels, beans, chopped shrimp, jalapeno, and onion in large bowl.

4.  Whisk together lime rind, juice, cilantro, sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, mayonnaise, water and pepper sauce in small bowl.  Spoon over corn mixture; stir gently to combine.

5.  Divide corn mixture among baked tortillas, about 1/3 cup each.  Serve immediately.

Whew!  I don’t know what you think about it, but I think that is a long list of items.  I do sometimes make recipes with such a list, but after a long day at work, that does not always interest me.  I did not have a lime, or corn.  While I love onions, I have some onion-haters in my house.  I know.  Sad.  I did have a can of black beans, but I also had black bean and corn salsa.  I had the corn tortillas.  We had never had tostadas before.  Eureka!  

So here’s my version of the above recipe.  To give credit where credit is due, I would not have created my recipe without reading that recipe. 

My Dump Recipe

Salsa Shrimp Tostadas

shredded cheese, probably about 1 cup

12 corn tortillas (I probably had 9)

1 cup cooked, shelled shrimp, chopped

¾ cup of your favorite salsa

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place tortillas in single layer on 2 baking sheets.  Coat with cooking spray.  Flip tortillas over, coat with spray.

2.  Bake 6 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip, and lightly sprinkle with shredded cheese.   Bake another 7 minutes or until lightly browned.  Transfer to wire rack. Let cool completely.

3.  Mix salsa and chopped shrimp.

4.  Let people load up their own tortillas at the table. 

How I lowered the sodium level:

1.  Corn tortillas are very low in sodium.

2.  I added no salt to the recipe.

3.  Swiss cheese can be used rather than cheddar.

4.  Fruit-based salsa will be lower in salsa than an all vegetable-salsa.  

Now, I agree, this was a flash of brilliance, but what’s for supper tomorrow?

First Post

I've had a private blog for several years, although I've been neglecting it recently since I've discovered Facebook.   I called my private blog "a grandma blog", with braggings about my child and reports of family events. I've long been thinking about creating a public blog and with the recent inspiration of a co-worker's blog, acraftyteacher.com, I've been inspired to discipline myself and start a public blog. I intend for my writings to be positive. I am very aware that the written word can be interpreted a variety of ways and that is the reason I have waited this long to have a public blog. I have journaled for a long time and write everything so my daughter can read it someday without an “ouch. “ That is also my intent for this blog.

So, here we go. First you need to know the cast of characters.

Myself – I am a wife, a mom, a speech-language pathologist, a post-menopausal woman posing as a young mom, a foodie, a ballroom dancer and maybe I will think of other things later. My interests also include yoga, health, and reading. Not much high risk behavior at this point in my life, but I'm having lots of fun!

Energizer Man (EM) – He is my husband and is an amusing character who will appear occasionally in the blog. He gets the name EM because he is the strongest, hardest working man I've ever watched work. And that's not just my opinion. He can do anything he needs to do on the computer, but has no interest in social computer networking. He will probably never read this, although I will usually tell him what I write. He is also passionate, intense, and smart.

Almost Teenager (AT) – She is 12 and flips between teenager and child. She is our delight and is creative, intense, talented, and funny. And Dramatic!  Currently, she is gasping as it she were dying, on the other side of the bed, pretending she is stuck under the bed. I'm supposed to bite and go over there to see what the problem is. I don't mean to encourage her with all the drama, but she often catches me off guard and I laugh aloud. I'm either laughing or saying “Stop it!” Now she may be pretending she's climbing on top of a block of ice in the North Sea, since she recently saw the movie The Titantic. That's the way she works.

The Dog – She has just reminded me that she exists. She is almost seven and calmer, but she has spent most of her life trying to be dominant and bossy. The dog never lies. If she says her bone is under the bed, it's under the bed.

The Cat – She is five and bossy also. She is very talkative and her favorite activity is to yell at EM, loudly and repeatedly, which annoys the heck out of him. The cat always lies. If she says she has never been fed today, it's not the truth. The dog LOVES the cat and was delighted when we got her.

One of the primary topics I'll address is FOOD!  Love it. I enjoy cooking for my family, but it is a real challenge. By the time you combine thinking of menu ideas, time-constraints, and individual preferences, it's often overwhelming. EM, due to health issues (which are very well managed), is interested in low sodium, heart-healthy recipes. However, due to his passionate nature, he thinks about food only when hungry. If I ask what he wants to supper and he's not hungry, he has no suggestions. If I say, “Does this taste funny to you?”, he immediately stops eating that food. (You know that I have learned NEVER to say that). We are basically vegetarian at home (we eat seafood), but will attack meat when eating out.

I want savory – umami – strong flavors – food adventures. I've been told I like “stinky” foods and it's true. Hummus, salmon, feta cheese, wasabi, vinegars, smoked oysters, sushi. The list going on and on. I love to plan meals and parties. When I find a great recipe, victory! I plan to post those recipes.

AT is a chickennugget-wheat-tarian. She likes a nice variety of foods, but wants everything seperate, not mixed. She does not eat beef at all and I struggle to get her to eat her veggies and fruit. No vinegars, mayo, white sauces for her.

Why is the blog named "It's Fun to Be a Grownup?"  Because, when I was in my 20s, I had a new job, new friends, new income, new state.  I was on a great adventure and became known for saying "It's fun to be a grownup!"  Now, a long time later, I still feel the same way (usually).

So, off on the blog adventure. I look forward to connecting with you!