Shrimp Quesadillas

Tonight, I made shrimp quesadillas for dinner. I took an idea from a recipe I read and then added my own twist to it with what we had in our fridge and pantry. The result: A yummy, HOT, SPICY, melt in your mouth quesadilla. :) The fun thing about quesadillas is you can pretty much put whatever you want on them and cannot mess it up! Wouldn't it be fun to have a "make your own quesadilla" night with your friends?! You can have the meat ready to go and then have bowls of freshly chopped veggies, shredded cheese, sour cream, spices, etc. How fun would that be?! I hope you enjoy this made-up recipe of mine and let me know if you come up with your own combo that is finger-lickin' good! :)

Shrimp Quesadillas(makes 3 FULL quesadillas but can make more)

1 lb fresh shrimp (I peeled ours before cooking)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Crushed Red Pepper to taste (the more, the spicer, the better!)
About 8 good shakes of dried parsley flakes
Whole Wheat tortilla shells (2 for each quesadilla)
Salsa
Avocado
Shredded 2% Mexican Cheese
Coconut Butter/Oil (or you can use cold-pressed olive oil)
*The coconut butter/oil gives it an extra boost of flavor. It gives just enough extra flavor that you don't even know it is cooked in coconut oil. I am not a big fan of coconut but I do LOVE the oil. I would HIGHLY recommend it!


After peeling your shrimp, place them in a bowl and add the pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, and parsley. You can use as much or as little as you please. Toss the shrimp and spices around until the shrimp are coated.

While you are doing that, go ahead and heat up the quesadilla maker (Target has a great one for $19.99) and put a frying pan on high heat. Add 2 tsp of coconut oil to the frying pan and watch it melt.

Wait until the oil starts to "smoke." Throw half of your shrimp in the frying pan making sure they all have room. Don't over-crowd the frying pan. Let them cook for about 1 minutes until the sides turn pink.

Using tongs, flip the shrimp over on the other side and take the frying pan off of the heat. The frying pan is hot enough that it will continue to cook the other side of the shrimp. Toss the finished, cooked shrimp in a bowl or put them on a quesadilla shell and repeat with the rest of the shrimp. Don't forget to add another 2 tsp of coconut oil to the pan before cooking the second batch.

After the shrimp are all finished, cut open an avocado and make nice thin strips. Remember, you need to make your food as colorful as possible so you can get all of the vitamins and minerals you need. A colorful meal usually is a very well-balanced healthy meal. :) Put your shrimp on a whole wheat tortilla shell and add avocado, cheese, etc. I like to keep mine pretty basic because I am just now opening my taste bud horizons :) but my husband on the other hand loves to pile things on. This is what is so great about making your own quesadillas or tacos at home! You get to create a "just-for-you" meal. :) After throwing on your toppings, place the quesadilla shell on your pre-heated quesadilla maker then add the other quesadilla shell on top. Press the quesadilla maker down for a few minutes until the top shell becomes slightly brown and the cheese is melted. Take off the quesadilla maker, use a knife to cut out triangles, pour a small bowl of salsa and you are ready to endulge in your delicious, one-of-a-kind dinner! Make sure you have a LARGE glass of water with your meal because this quesadilla will ROCK your taste buds! I like to dip my pieces in the bowl of salsa to give it an extra kick of flavor.





I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know if you come up with any other yummy quesadilla creations!