Hooray! Tostadas!!

So I was walking through a local discount grocery, stopping by to get a bag of potatoes on the way to pick up my oldest from school, when I happened upon Charras corn tostadas at 99 cents a bag. "Eureka!" I thought, "New dinner tonight." I read the ingredients carefully, determined they were gluten-free, and grabbed a bag.

My knowledge of tostadas and the expected configuration of them is somewhat limited to Taco Bell, I'm afraid. And I wasn't trying to make "Mexican Pizza." But since my family loves Mexican, I came up with my own version of the tostada, which I am happy with after the 2nd run. And my family? They cut eat it 3 times a week.


First I made a bean spread. It looks crazy, but both kids could eat it with a spoon.


Ingredients:
2 cups garbanzo beans
2 cups kidney beans
1/2 can tomatoes or 1 fresh one, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onions
3 tbsp. cilantro
2 tbsp. ancho chile powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
olive oil


Soak beans overnight in separate containers. You can also do a "quick" soak by following your package directions. Cook them in separate pans. This is important, because kidney beans release a toxin and they must be boiled to release it. I would rather cook them separately to reduce risk of cross-contamination. Once they are both done, drain and rinse the beans and dump them in a pot together, along with the tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes. Pour the mixture into a food processor, and add the onions, ancho chile powder, cilantro and garlic powder. Process until smooth. If the spread clumps up, add olive oil through the top until you get the consistency you desire. (If you have small ones who are not ready for the chile powder, process first, remove some, then add the seasonings and blend with the remainder.)


Now, on to making tostadas. You'll need:

• Tostada shells
• Shredded cheese
• sour cream
• lettuce
• tomato
• bean spread
• meat
• avocado
• salsa or hot sauce
• chopped onions

For the meat, I cooked 1 lb. ground grass fed beef with some garlic, ancho chile powder, and chopped onions. I didn't measure the amounts, because grass-fed beef tastes so good that I ate bits of it as I went along to ensure good flavor!

To construct your tostada, spread a layer of bean dip and then top with other toppings as you like. Kids like this because they get to assemble their own. Adults like it because it's yummy.


All in all, it's a pretty easy, low maintenance dinner. Gluten-free, easily dairy-free for those that require it.