Shakin’ it up with Shrimp Tostadas!

Ever have one of those nights where you want something different, but you really don’t want to make a huge effort to do it? I was recently reminded that- get ready for it... insert the "wendy whiner" of your family here... that we’re always eating the same things. So before I snapped back with a "please feel free to shop and fix dinner for the ENTIRE family yourselves" comment, I thought about it. Whining withheld, my family actually had a point. I started to think of places we have been where we have eaten something different (that the recipe did not possess cooking verbs that I didn’t understand). I had it! Mexican food! I like to start my recipe search with "easy" and see what comes up. We love shrimp and it’s not on our everyday routine.... Easy Shrimp Tostadas popped onto the screen. We had an amazing shrimp tostada dish while we are on vacation in Mexico! Get ready folks - here is how my family was privileged to eat "something different" for dinner this week with a 15-minute total cook time. How can you beat that?

The recipe begins with melting 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.

Add 1 package (21 to 30) frozen peeled, deveined shrimp to the butter. Hopefully you purchase peeled deveined shrimp since it is so much less work to prepare this recipe.

Cook the shrimp until they turn pink. Shrimp cook really quick - only about 2 to 3 minutes for them to cook. They will look like this. Remove them from the heat and set them aside. If you want to add salt and pepper, now is the time.

You can purchase crisp tostadas, or you can place a corn tortilla in a skillet over medium heat and cook it until it turns a golden color. Flip the tortilla over several times so that it does not burn!

Remove the tortilla from the skillet and place it on a plate.

Top each tortilla with the coleslaw, then a tablespoon of salad dressing. My family seems to possess super natural powers at spilling food at meal time. I swear my 4-year old can telepathically look at a plate of food and most of it ends up on my floor surrounding him. We needed a little extra "stick together" power. So I mixed 1 cup coleslaw mix (you can also substitute shredded lettuce) with just under the 4 tablespoons of creamy southwest salad dressing.

I mixed well so that the coleslaw held together a little better.

Place the tostadas on a serving plate, and add 1/4 cup coleslaw and salad dressing mixture on top of the tostada.

Top with 1/4 cup shrimp.

At this point, I was feeling a little better about making something different - so to be festive and show no ill will at the... "comment", I placed the easy shrimp tostadas on one of the plates we painted while we were on our vacation in Mexico.

Success at shaking up the same old routine! Now... If only I could re-create the beach, cabanas and dining poolside!
I have to say, change is GOOD. I hope you enjoy this quick easy meal as much as we did!

Make sure to come back and let me know if you tried these Easy Shrimp Tostadas. Do you have a 15-minute recipe you like to serve when time is short?

Come back in a few days when Bridget will show how to get the most out of your summer blueberry crop.

Alex is paid to write for the Land O’Lakes Recipe Buzz® Blog.