Simple, Tasty Tostadas

These tostadas are better than any I have had in a Mexican restaurant!

They might not be super pretty, but the tostadas I made for dinner the other night were mighty tasty!  Under that lettuce is a crisp, baked corn tortilla, slathered with spicy, soyrizo refried pinto and black beans, spicy Mexican style rice, and shredded jalapeno jack cheese.  Yes, you could say we like things spicy at our house.

Mexican Style Rice

1/2 cup rice (I like Basmati, you can use whatever you like)

1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp chili paste

water

Heat oil over medium high heat.  Saute onions until they are soft and beginning to brown.  Stir in cumin and chili powder.  Stir in rice covering it with oil and spices, about 1 minute (careful not to let it scorch!)  Put chili paste in measuring cup and add water to make it 3/4 of a cup.  Pour over rice and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer and cover with lid.  Simmer for 19 minutes.  Remove from heat and leave lid on until you are ready to assemble tostadas.

Refried Pinto and Black Beans

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 cup cooked black beans

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in saute pan.  Saute onion until soft and golden.  Add pinto beans with juice from can.  Add black beans.  Stir and sprinkle with cumin.

Pinto, black beans, onion and cumin

Using a potato masher, mash into a smooth paste.

Mash, mash, mash

Smooth, refried beans – yummy!

I always add some water during this process, as it tends to dry out pretty quickly.  Just add as needed.  When the beans are at this point, I put my garlic into a garlic press and add to the pan.  It’s a good point to add your salt and pepper now, too.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  It’s great like this but even better if you add soy chorizo right about now.

Lookin’ good!

While you are cooking the rice and beans, you should have your corn tortillas baking and crisping in the oven.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover sheet pan with foil (to facilitate clean up) and place tortillas on pan.  Spray both side with non stick spray.  Place in oven and just keep an eye on them, turning once during bake time.  Remove from oven once they are crispy and browned a little.

Crispy and browned and ready to be slathered with beans

Chop Romaine lettuce.  Dress with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp vinegar of choice.  I like Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar.

Assemble tostadas.  Place crisped tortilla on a plate.  Slather with a generous amount of refried beans.   Top with an equal amount of rice.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Sprinkle some chopped onion.  Top with dressed lettuce.  I added chopped tomato, sliced olives, chopped cucumber, chopped avocado, a dollop of light sour cream and jarred jalapenos to our tostadas.  You can use whatever is in your kitchen and imagination.  Enjoy and ole!

Dinner is ready!

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