Garlic-Lime Shrimp Quesadillas

So I have been away from this blog way too long. So much has been going on and I really plan to get back blogging. Been a busy little bee lately. But anyways I made these Garlic Lime shrimp Quesadillas and they were so good, quick and easy.

Ingredients ~
3/4 lb medium shrimp, cooked
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 ounce cream cheese (1/3 of a small package), softened
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 cups finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
4 10-inch flour tortillas
Vegetable oil
Guacamole and sour cream

Directions ~
Peel the shrimp completely, including tails. Chop them into 1/2-inch pieces and place them in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the lime juice and garlic and toss to combine. Set aside for 25 minutes to marinate, then drain off any liquid that has accumulated. Add the lime zest, and jalapeños and mix well.

In a separate bowl, blend the softened cream cheese, scallions and cilantro with a fork. Add in 1 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese and combine thoroughly.

Prepare the tortillas by spreading 1/4 of the cheese mixture onto one half of each tortilla.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and swirl the pan to coat evenly. Place one tortilla in the pan, cheese side up. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/4 of the shrimp mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded Monterey Jack on top of the shrimp, fold the other side of the tortilla up over the mixture and press gently.

Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese on the bottom has melted and the tortilla is golden brown. Flip carefully and cook for another minute until all the cheese has melted and that side is golden brown as well. Transfer to a platter to keep warm and repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. Serve with guacamole and sour cream.

This turned out so good. So quick easy and tasty.

Broccoli & Shrimp Ravioli

This was super easy and so good. I bought a bag of Trader Joes four cheese ravioli and boiled for about 12 mins then set aside. Then in separate pan saute shrimp, 1 teaspoon EVOO, 2 cloves of garlic minced salt and pepper. Steamed a bunch of fresh broccoli and mixed with the shrimp. Then tossed together with Trader Joe Alfredo sauce. And topped with grated Asiago cheese. Total meal took about 20mins tops.

Gourmet Chicken Salad

I wanted to make something light and quick with some leftover chicken breast I had. This was so good and perfect for lunch. I actually made this for dinner with sweet potato fries.

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chicken chunks, drained
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 (8 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 3/4 cup creamy cucumber salad dressing

Directions

1. Mix together chicken, grapes, nuts, celery, oranges, and dressing. Chill.

(Chicken can substituted for 1 1/2 grilled chicken breast cubed)

Easy Chicken Stirfry

Yum yum and then some. This meal was super easy, quick and tasty. I used pre-cooked chicken, and store bought Teriyaki marinade. If you have the time to make your own marinade here is a simple recipe that I've used before that is pretty awesome. But since finals were coming up I went with the bottle.
Teriyaki Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Ingredients

• 2-cups chicken cut up
• 2 cups Asian vegetable medley stir-fry mix (wally world has huge bag for $5)
• Teriyaki sauce
• Basmati rice 1 1/2 cups
  
• 1 tablespoon Garlic ginger paste (from local Indian market)
• salt
  
• pepper
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon EVOO
  

Directions:
Make small pot of rice ~set aside.
Saute chicken in EVOO , add garlic ginger paste, bell pepper, onion, spices, and cook until chicken is done. Add veggies and Teriyaki sauce, cook another 10mins until veggies are done. Serve over rice. Viola. Using precooked chicken and marinade this only takes about 20-25mins tops. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

This was ummm... good. I needed to make something quick and easy the hubbie had to go to halakah so this was perfect. I wasnt too excited with the end result, I hate using a recipe from all recipes and people are all like "OMG this was the best thing since sliced bread". Next thing you know you make it and feel like you wasted your ingredients. My husband really liked it, but i felt it didn't live up to the hype. Next time will use the chicken for Alfredo or something more yummier.The chicken itself was really good, the combination of it with the noodles...umm not so much. Maybe more sauce was needed. Who knows. lol. I used this base recipe from all recipes and changed a few things, I added more garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning to the bread crumb mix. I also salt/pepper the chicken before I added the egg and crumb mix.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 ounces pasta sauce
• 6 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
4. Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice of Monterey Jack cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Pastrami Grilled Cheese with provolone and cheddar

Yum Yum and then some. Made this the other day for lunch just now getting around to blogging about it. Used whole wheat 7 grain bread, few pieces of pastrami and lots of cheese. Ok so for those of you who need the directions for a grilled cheese sandwich , hmm well I feel sorry for you. Kidding ...ok here are the ingredients and simple steps to make a quick easy satisfying lunch. I paired this with some sliced apples so my lunch was sort of healthy. Sometimes you have to apply the 80-20 rule to cooking. As long as you work out, it will work out in the end.

Ingredients :
2 pieces whole wheat bread
2 pieces pastrami
1 slice provolone cheese
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter or landolakes spreadable butter

Directions:
First heat pastrami in skillet on med heat for 3 mins. Set aside.
spread butter on bread place 1 piece of bread butter side down in skillet. Add provolone cheese, pastrami , cheddar cheese slice, then other piece of bread butter side up. After about 2 mins flip sandwich , allow bread to cook on other side and voila , quick yummy meal/snack if your greedy.