Black Bean Tostada

Tostadas are one of my favorite quick and easy dinners. They don't take much time to throw together at all. My favorite part? Piling lots of veggies like spinach and tomatoes on top!

Probably the longest part of throwing a tostada together is cooking the rice. And, you could always leave it out if you're in a time crunch. I like to use brown rice, which takes longer to cook, so I always get that going first, before doing anything else. 

This time, instead of using plain brown rice, I turned it into Mexican Rice. I used leftover fajitas from dinner the night before (brilliance!) and chopped the peppers and onions into tiny pieces. (If you don't happen to have leftover fajitas, just finely chop some fresh peppers, onion, and maybe a bit of tomato). Then I cooked the rice in vegetable broth and added some extra ground cumin. 

While the rice is simmering away on the stove, you have time to get everything else together. For me, this means opening and rinsing a can of black beans and warming them up with some spices, cooking chicken (if you're using meat, which is certainly not necessary because the beans have enough protein), chopping veggies, shredding some cheese and making the tortillas crispy.

I also like to make the guacamole from scratch. It tastes way better than buying from the store or even using the seasoning packets. I'll share the super-secret recipe I learned from my husband below!

There are a few different ways to get the tortillas crispy. If you're making more than 2 tostadas, it's most efficient to throw them all on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven until crispy. That way, you can get them all done at the same time. When it's just the two of us, though sometimes my husband and I will heat them in a frying pan on each side until crispy. We used a bit of olive oil this time and it gives a really nice crunch. But, for a lower calorie option, I don't think the oil is necessary at all, you can skip it and just heat the tortillas in a dry, hot pan.

By the time the rice is done, all your toppings should be prepared and ready to go! Let everyone construct their own tostada and dinner's ready!

Black Bean Tostadas

For the Mexican Rice

3/4 c uncooked short grain brown rice

1 1/2 c vegetable broth (or water if you don't have broth around)

1/2 c finely chopped green pepper

1/4 c minced onion

1/2 c finely chopped tomato

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Boil water or broth in medium-sized saucepan. Then add rice, chopped vegetables, and cumin. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is done, about 30-40 minutes.

For the Black Bean Tostada

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 chicken breast, chopped (optional)

1 TBSP taco seasoning

1 tsp ground cumin

1 garlic clove, minced

3 handfuls fresh spinach, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1/2 c shredded cheese (cheddar or monterey jack, or a combo)

2 tortillas (corn or flour)

olive oil

While rice is simmering, begin to prepare the ingredients for the tostada. Start by heating a few glugs of olive oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and spices and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute). Then brown the chicken, if using. Add the drained beans and a bit of water. Continue to stir until everything is cooked and heated through. I like to squish some of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon to thicken things up a bit.

Chop the spinach and tomato. Shred the cheese.

To crisp the tortillas, heat a frying pan and cook one tortilla at a time, about 2 minutes on each side, or until crispy. (Alternatively, heat over to 400 degrees, and place all tortillas on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, flipping the tortillas halfway through, until crispy).

For the Secret Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

3/4 c medium spicy salsa

1/2 c chopped cilantro

juice from one lime

salt and pepper, to taste

Peel and chop the avocados. Mix with fork (or potato masher) in medium-sized bowl until avocado is more smooth and less chunky. Be sure to leave a few chunks of avocado, though. Stir in the salsa, cilantro and lime. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. 

To assemble the tostada: Start with a crispy tortilla. Smear on the bean mixture. Add a few spoonfuls of rice on top of that. Pile spinach, tomatoes, and cheese on top. Dollop some guacamole on top. 

Thai Curry Stir-fry with Quinoa

This is probably one of my favorite meals.  And, it's packed with nutritional benefits too! Fresh vegetables, whole grains and high fiber. And you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, so it's great for cleaning out the fridge. But, the best part? It's a one-bowl meal. I really like meals where you just need a bowl to eat them. Everything can mix together, and something about it makes it feel warm and cozy. (Maybe because I can wrap my cold hands around the warm bowl?)

Now, there are two ways you can make this. You can either make the curry sauce from scratch, or cheat and use a jarred curry sauce. I cheated. I used Trader Joe's red curry sauce. And, it was awesome.

I always get water going to cook my grain first (whether it's quinoa or brown rice, or whatever). While you're waiting for the water to boil, get the vegetables chopped. I had some help with the chopping in the kitchen!

The other way I cheat when cooking quinoa is to skip the rinse! (For shame, I know). I tried it once, and what a pain! After all those little grains get wet, they stick to everything! They stick to the colander you used to rinse them, they stick to the spoon you had to use to scoop them out, and there are bound to be little quinoa grains haunting your kitchen for days after. So, I skip this step. I know, quinoa supposedly has a bitter soap-like coating on the grain that can make your quinoa taste bitter. But, I haven't noticed a change in taste at all. If I did, I might put up with the pain of rinsing the quinoa. For now, though, I am officially NOT a quinoa rinser.

I do like my quinoa fluffy, though. And here's the trick I use for that. Once all the water is absorbed and the grains are cooked through, remove from heat, put a cotton towel over the pot, and replace the lid. Let the quinoa sit like this until you are ready to serve. I'm not sure why this works. Maybe something about the towel absorbing the steam so the quinoa doesn't get too mushy from just sitting around?

I think this is one of those dinners you can make quickly on a busy weeknight. In the time it takes to cook the quinoa, you can have your veggies chopped and sautéing away and dinner can be ready in about 1/2 hour. Not to bad! Plus you get a bonus hand-warmer from holding the bowl. And, it's pretty tasty too!

Use this recipe as a guide. Use whatever vegetables you have. And, you can vary the amounts depending on how big your pan is, and how many people will be eating.


Thai Curry Stir-Fry with Quinoa


1 c dry quinoa
2 cups water or broth
2-3 cloves garlic
3 small eggplant, chopped into large bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 sliced carrots
3 large handfuls spinach
1 can bamboo shoots
1 block extra firm tofu, sliced
1 jar red curry sauce
olive oil

Pour water or broth into medium-sized saucepan and bring to boil. When boiling, add quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes. After the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat. Place cotton towel over pan and replace the lid. Let sit until ready to serve.

While waiting for water to boil, begin chopping and slicing all your vegetables. Then, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and briefly fry the tofu on all sides, remove tofu from pan and add garlic, onions, and carrots. Sauté until they begin to soften, then add eggplant and bamboo shoots. Once all the vegetables are softened, add the curry sauce and spinach. Cook for a few more minutes to wilt the spinach.

Then spoon quinoa into a bowl and top with the vegetable curry.