Photo: Leigh Loftus
Sometimes I daydream about the things that I would do or buy if money was no object. That might sound selfish or vain but really, I’m just looking forward to a time when I can buy shoes without having to check my bank account first. In case you think I might have completely succumbed to capitalism, don’t worry. I also daydream about the things I would do if time were no object.If I didn’t have to work full-time, if there were more hours in the day or if I suddenly stopped needing sleep – any at all – I would definitely do a few things differently.
In my day dreams, I would never have dishes in the sink, I would paint my apartment and finally hang some pictures on my too-naked walls and of course (and you had to have known where I was going with this) I would cook everything from scratch. I’d bake whole grain wheat sandwich bread and English muffins, I’d make homemade sauce and homemade salsa.
Sure, I make those things sometimes. But more often than not, I buy them at the grocery store. Even if you love to cook, could spend all day cooking and sometimes do spend all day cooking, it can be difficult to find the time to make everything you want to make. Since I can’t do everything, I prioritize.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
So I prioritize. I buy jarred salsa and sometimes, there’s just no substitute for boxed macaroni and cheese (even if I do buy the organic variety for guilt appeasement).
Even if, like me, you prefer to cook entirely from scratch, life gets in the way sometimes. Especially if you’re just starting a job, are newly married or are going through one of the many transitions that the quarter(ish) life stage has to offer.
I had the best intentions to make these soft tacos with fish and spinach from the New York Times on Sunday but I had shrimp in my freezer, a jar of tomatillo salsa mocking me from the cabinet and a few packages of tortillas on hand. I took the shortcut and I don’t regret it one bit.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1-1/2 pounds frozen, uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed (31-40 size)
- 1 cup tomatillo salsa, or salsa verde
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- Queso Blanco
- 6 corn tortillas
- Fresh cilantro, if desired
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp are no longer translucent, turn pink and begin to curl.
- Add salsa and let simmer over lowest heat for about ten minutes longer, stirring frequently. You'll want the shrimp to soak up the flavor from the spicy salsa, without overcooking.
- Meanwhile, warm the tortillas according to directions on the package. When shrimp is done, spoon shrimp mixture into each tortilla and top with queso blanco. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
9 Comments
thatShortChick
May 5, 2010 at 10:50 pmI’m loving all of your recipes featuring spinach lately! Currently, we have an abundance of it due to my newfound favorite drink: green monster smoothies.
mandy
May 5, 2010 at 10:30 pmSometimes you just have to take the shortcut. These look delicious and the perfect thing for a cinco de mayo dinner.
bodyhacker
May 5, 2010 at 4:49 pmLove your Shrimp & Spinach Tacos recipe! They look delicious and definitely agree that sometimes you have to take those small shortcuts to let yourself focus on the bigger picture!
Thanks for sharing.
Tickled Red
May 5, 2010 at 12:47 pmYummy. It’s not Cinco de Mayo unless you have fish tacos but shrimp ones… even better! I know what you mean. It is expensive to cook and I would a plethora of kitchen gadgets if my purse was deeper 🙂
Kelly
May 5, 2010 at 11:49 amI have to admit, I feel SO guilty about taking shortcuts. I love cooking from scratch so anytime I buy something store-bought I get a pang of guilt. Trying to slowly get over it though.
theUngourmet
May 5, 2010 at 1:07 amI’m all about semi-homemade! This looks wonderful! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo. I’ve been wanting to make English muffins too. Someday. 🙂
Bethany
May 4, 2010 at 9:46 pmHa! I actually watched you make these and didn’t register the fact that you were using jarred salsa — who cares?? They were awesome, and looked quick to whip up. Perfect for a weeknight, because let’s be honest, I can’t actually complicated recipes after work!
Susan
May 4, 2010 at 9:46 pmI just had fish tacos last night, woah!
Caroline
May 4, 2010 at 8:01 amThese were so good. It’s a great lesson in realizing that shortcuts don’t have to mean shortchanging on qualiy or flavor!