Published on June 6th, 2017
4Recipes, Recipes, Recipes: Shrimp Cups with Avocado Salsa
I’m sooo excited! For nearly 6 years now I've lived without an oven (indeed, in Vietnam and Thailand, I didn’t even have a KITCHEN!)
But hey – I’ve been tucked in here on this Andean mountain top for more than 3 years now, and little-by-little I’ve added a handful of comforts to my decidedly minimalist possessions.
First it was a slow-cooker which elevated my culinary repertoire to yummy lasagna, whole "baked" chicken, and succulent shreds of Cuban “Ropa Vieja”. Ah but with only that plus a microwave and a stove-top, there’s always been the dilemma of rustling up a simple slice of “toast” for breakfast. Not to mention cookies and cakes and PIES! Yes, yes there’s wondrous Ecuadorian bakeries on pretty much every.blessed.corner here in Cuenca, but I must say…
My recent foodie tour in Mexico City (along with the many yummy eats I sampled throughout my skip amid the Balkans and Turkey last fall) has turned me into quite the little foodie. And I’ve lately been eyeing a bunch of recipes that alas, lie out of my reach – due to lack of an oven.
So… long story short? I’ve added another kitchen gadget to my otherwise uber-minimalist lifestyle, and treated myself to a wee, tabletop TOASTER OVEN!
And Furthermore…
In order to better share recipes here on TravelnLass, I’ve also installed a new recipe plugin that nicely formats the step-by-step instructions, along with a host of handy recipe bells ‘n whistles. Not only does the plugin let you adjust the recipe’s servings (automatically adjusting the ingredient amounts), but you can print out the recipe, and time yourself as you make it!
Even better, I’ve set up a special TL page where you can now browse all the recipes I’ve posted in the past plus new recipes that I’ll be adding in the future. All the recipes are searchable (by category, ingredient, etc.) and they’re now all tucked together in a new “Recipes” menu – right up there under the main “Eatn” menu at the top of the page.
And now, without further ado – here’s a direct link to the first recipe I tried with my shiny new toaster oven:
Then you might want to subscribe to my email list so you’re sure to catch my next one.
(trust that I’ll not clog your precious inbox – I generally only post but once a week at most.)
Oh I totally get the excitement, Dyanne as we are still reveling in the pleasure of having a kitchen with both an oven, a dishwasher (feeling lah-dee-dah!) and space to spread out a prepare a meal. Hard to explain that feeling to someone who hasn’t traveled but it is indeed a luxury! Ooooh – and do your shrimp cups with avocado salsa look delish – I can’t wait to give them a try!
Yes Anita, paring down to practically nothing for years on end is quite the eye-opener. It really makes you appreciate some of the “luxuries” of a stationary home.
I must say though… the trade-off in having but a handful of “stuff” is ever so *freeing!*, and now we can verrry selectively choose to own only the few things that truly bring us pleasure.
And yes – do try the tortilla cups. Surprisingly flaky, so easy, and you can fill them with most anything you like (um, ceviche would be no doubt fantastic, no?)
Be warned that toaster oven heat is often inconsistent; you may have trouble baking full thickness cakes. The following cake, etc. instructions (https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/preparation/slow-cooker-recipes/slow-cooker-dessert-recipes) should work with from-scratch recipes, too!
Thanks for the heads-up, Charline. So far, everything I’ve tried has come out surprisingly well (oatmeal/raisin cookies, a box cake mix made into cupcakes, and of course these easy-peasy tortilla cups). But I agree, the smallness of it could easily vary the heat, so I think I’ll stick with just small things (i.e. not an entire cake) and I always watch the baking/browning carefully.
And yes, I do also have a slow cooker, but it’s mainly the “toast”, and “broil” on the toaster oven (for things like bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, etc.) that I was soooo missing.