Brunch Tostadas!

Yes, the exclamation point is a necessity here. We accidentally didn't have time to try out the Shredded Chicken Hard Tacos recipe we had planned this week, so in a pinch we decided to use all the ingredients and substituted eggs for the chicken. It was a very exciting way to start the day.

Brunch Tostadas!

5 eggs
1 -2 tbsp skim milk
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, diced & divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup salsa, divided
6 oz shredded light Mexican cheese blend
2 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Sour Cream
Avocado
Lettuce, chopped
Tomato, diced


In a small saucepan, heat about 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1/2 of the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and stir until the scent of garlic is released, about 1 minute. Add black beans and stir until combined. When the black beans are heated through, stir in 1/4 cup of salsa. Reduce heat to low and cover to retain liquid.
Roughly chop the avocado. Place in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a fork. It's okay if the avocado is still a little chunky - that's the best part.
Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil spray to lubricate. Add eggs. Wait about 1 minute and then stir the eggs with a wooden spoon, gently scraping the bottom of the pan. Repeat this process until the eggs are scrambled and all the liquid has been cooked/evaporated, about 10-12 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, heat a small pan over medium high heat. Spray quickly with olive oil spray. Add one corn tortilla and toast until both sides are brown and the tortilla is almost crispy.
Place the toasted tortilla on a plate. Spread 1/2 of the mashed avocado mixture on the tortilla. Add the black beans, sprinkle the cheese, then cover with eggs. The lettuce, tomato and sour cream will top off a deliciously complete brunch meal. Too bad we didn't have any guests to share this with! We'll be sure to make it again sometime.

Chicken Tostadas

Brit and I had leftover tortillas and cheese from our quesadillas that we needed to use up before we go on vacation this Saturday. Our veggie tostadas turned out really well, so I proposed we make tostadas again. We also had lots of leftover chicken from a chicken roaster Brit made on Sunday, so we only needed a few more ingredients to make ourselves some chicken tostadas.

Chicken Tostadas

serves 4

Roast chicken
Tortillas
Mexican blend cheese
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
Olive oil
Chicken stock
Salt pepper
Sour cream
Chipotle salsa
1 can refried beans
1 tomato, diced

Mix the can of refried beans in a small pot with some healthy scoops of salsa over low-medium heat until hot.

Saute the sliced onion and bell pepper in a little olive oil and fully cook in a few splashes of chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In the same saute pan, spray with non-stick spray, and toast the tortillas over low heat until brown and crisp.

On your plate, layer one toasted tortilla, the bean/salsa mixture, cheese, roast chicken pieces, sauteed veggies, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and more salsa.

Pretend you can eat this dish with grace, give up after just one or two bites, cut it all up, mix together, and enjoy! Go back for seconds if you desire.

Veggie and Bean Tostadas

Brit and I had leftover tortillas that needed to be eaten and expected to have leftover black beans from earlier in the week. We love all "Mexican" dishes and decided to make tostadas (my first time!).

Veggie and Bean Tostadas

Serves 4

Refried beans
Salsa (we have Costco salsa in the house right now)
Cuban Black Beans
Brown rice
Limes
Guacamole (Brit made from avacados, minced onion, minced garlic, diced tomato, lime juice, salt, and pepper)
Tomato, diced
Diced onion
Pepper, julienned
Chicken stock
Mexican blend cheese
Tortillas
Sour cream

I heated the refried beans over low heat after mixing with a few large scoops of salsa.
The leftover black beans and brown rice were re-heated from our meal earlier in the week.
The onion and pepper were sauteed and I added some chicken stock because I was worried the onions were going to burn before the peppers were done cooking. Season with salt and pepper.
Tortillas were briefly heated (2-3 min per side) in a frying pan sprayed with non-stick olive oil until they were browned and crispy

I layered the tortillas with refried beans, cheese, black beans and rice, guacamole, sour cream, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. I then squirted some lime juice on top and dug in! It's really hard to cut into the tostadas and eat without making a mess, but that's something that Brit and I love about "Mexican" food;. It doesn't matter how you eat it (by hand or with utencils); it's always delicious. Brit's friend Kirsten has been visiting and both Brit and Kirsten got seconds. All of the flavors work so well together and we will definitely be making a dish like this again