Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Healthy Tostadas!!



In case you haven't learned, I just love Mexican food. I have a high tolerance for it as well as high expectations of what it should taste like. The bad side to Mexican food is that it's usually pretty high in fat and calories and here in the Midwest, good Mexican food is very hard to come by so I often resort to making it from scratch...well almost scratch.

Tostadas are one of my favorite Mexican dishes and since DH doesn't like Mexican food, I thought I'd make tostadas for dinner since he's out of town on business!

FYI: I make my own beans that are very good, very simple and you don't miss the 'refried' part at all. I'll share in detail on another post next time I make them.

2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup homemade unmashed pinto beans (or good canned ones if you don't make your own)
green leaf lettuce, shredded
lowfat mexican cheese, shredded
1/2 avocado, sliced
hot sauce or salsa (not chunky kind)
salt
2 tablespoons light sour cream (optional)

Keep in mind this recipe is very open to add whatever you like on your tostadas. I just grew up eating bean tostadas so that's what I like.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place corn tortillas on a cookie sheet and spritz with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Just as the tortillas are starting to crisp, flip halfway through and spritz with olive oil again and sprinkling with salt. Bake until tortillas are crisp.

Heat beans and spoon a thin even layer on each tostada shell. Top with lettuce, avocado, sour cream, cheese, and hot sauce.

Just say yes to yummy, and no to booty!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what part of the midwest you live in, but I spent the first 18 years of my life in the midwest and now live on the east coast.

I desperately miss the excellent mexican food in Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis and even in Iowa. Even the smallest towns have Mexican immigrants who've opened taquerias and other hole in the wall restaurants with amazing food.

You seem kind of bitter about living in the midwest (or at the very least look down your nose at it), but the lack of excellent mexican food shouldn't be added to your list of things to hate about where you live.

Risa said...

It's not so much I hate living in the Midwest iself, it's more the tornadoes in the summer (I'm so scared of them), frigid cold and snowy winters(hate driving in it). I do like the people around here and I have a lot of really nice friends, but the whole atmosphere is very different from the Southwest. I miss the laid back feel. I've been here for 4 yrs and I'm still not fully adjusted. Thanks for visiting my blog! :-)

Anonymous said...

Yumm, I tried your tostadas and they were fantastic! I live in Phoenix and am married to a Mexican/American so I know Mexican food since family members cook very authentic Mexican food. I like your "light" twist on this yummy dish.

ashley said...

uummmm... sounds good! change up the mexican night better, you know at least once a week!!:)
but i totally need your bean receipt. i have some in my cabinet and i always buy beans, but i want to learn how to cook them.
thanks!

Risa said...

I'll get on that bean recipe deal for ya;-)