Shrimp Quesadillas and Tomato Rice

How it's supposed to Look:




For the last few weeks, my really good friend Oscar and I, have been in nonstop discussion about how we have to cook together. We're always throwing recipes and foods out at each other and saying We should make this!!! Finally we got together, with our friend Jasmine, to cook.

Unfortunately, I am currently unemployed and have limited funds. Which sucks, because I could not cook the fancy meal we had planned. We decided to go mexican. Making everything from quesillas to flan, but that did not happen exactly. We had to economize. So we made Shrimp Quesadillas and a new recipe for my tomato rice.

Shrimp Quesadillas recipe via http://planetgreen.discovery.com/f
(note we exchanged black bean salsa for sour cream and could not find quacamole





How Mine Looks:

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red or green pepper, sliced
1/2 pound medium shrimp, (26-30 count)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and Pepper
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup Fresh Tomato Salsa
1 cup Guacamole
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
Corn and Black Bean Salsa, recipe follows

Method:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the peppers. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until golden and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the remaining oil in the pan. When hot, add one of the tortillas. Spoon over tortilla, 2 tablespoons fresh tomato salsa, 1 tablespoon guacamole, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Divide the shrimp into 4 portions and add one portion on top of the cheese. Top with another tortilla and press down. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn to the second side, and continue cooking until golden on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a large plate or cutting board, cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.

Tomato Rice Recipe 2 via. allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Conclusion:

The food was good. I really enjoyed it. I have never made a quesadillas before, but I had a good time making it. We really filled the quesadillas with peppers and shrimp and so they were kind of a mess, but a good mess. I wish we could have browned and made the tortillas crisper, but it didn't matter in the larger scheme of things.

Jasmine is against vegetables, so I made a tomato rice that has no carrots, tomatoes, etc, just onions. Which meant the rice was less flavorful. I was very disappointed in the rice, the last time i made it, it was soo much tastier. Also, I used to cans of tomatoes so when I poured it into the pot I thought it was too much. So I added another half cup which was a mistake, it sucked up too much juice and left the rice less flavorful then it should have been. That did not stop us from cleaning our plates though!

Also, can I say cooking as a team is so much better then cooking alone. Oscar is AMAZING at cutting up the ingredients. I suck at cutting onions, peppers etc, and he cut it up like a pro. Also, this entry is so much better cuz we have multiple pics, which I couldn't do if we didn't have Jasmine there. Whenever I'm cooking I think, I wish I could get a pick of this, but of course I can't because my hands are dirty, etc.