Black beans are truly one of my all time favorite foods. They are the perfect substitute in many hearty meat dishes.
I absolutely love black bean burgers, black bean tacos, black bean salsa, and particularly...
Black Bean Tostadas
corn tortillas
seasoned black beans {recipe below}
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
avocado
reduced fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt
your favorite salsa {or pineapple salsa}
{Seasoned Black Beans: Sauté 1/2 diced red onion, 1/2 diced red bell pepper and 1/2 diced green bell pepper in 1 tbsp of canola oil until peppers and onion begin to soften. Add two cans of drained and rinsed black beans with 1/4 cups of vegetable broth. Season with 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1 tsp of cumin. Simmer over low heat for up to 1 hour and season with salt to taste.}
Turn broiler on low and allow oven to preheat. Lay tortillas directly on the oven rack and broil for a few minutes on each side, until the tortillas are crispy. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of black beans, spreading the beans to the edge and top with shredded cheese. Once prepared, put each tortilla back under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Top with avocado, sour cream and salsa.
{Serve with spanish rice and sautéed vegetables}
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I feel like the most common misconception about Mexican cuisine, or Latin cuisine in general, is that it's fattening and unhealthy. But it really doesn't have to be. Mexican food is all about flavor, not fat.
Okay, so technically traditional tostadas are fried then topped with refried beans, cheese and the like. But baking and topping with vegetarian beans in lieu of frying then topping with refried beans is much healthier, and you don't lose the flavor. I promise.
