BXG Blog

Vegetarian Tostadas

These tostadas are simple, but delicious. They are gluten free and easily made vegan or soy-free.

INGREDIENTS

  • Several tablespoons of neutral cooking oil (optional)
  • 2-3 yellow corn tortillas per person eating
  • Refried pinto beans, preferably Mexicali Rose’s Homestyle Mexican Refried Beans or another canned alternative
  • 1 ounce grated cheese per person, preferably cheddar or colby jack
  • Several tablespoons of sour cream
  • 1/4 large hass avocado per person, cubed
  • 1/2 small red or white onion, diced
  • 2 leaves of romaine lettuce, shredded
  • 1 roma tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes, diced
  • Several tablespoons of good quality salsa, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 small can of sliced black olives (optional)

Instructions

  1. Fry the corn tortillas in the neutral oil until crisp (Healthier option: bake the tortillas in the oven at approximately 300 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp, checking regularly to make sure they don’t burn or curl dramatically).

  2. Make 1 serving of the refried beans per person eating. This translates to: (1 person) 1/3 cup dry beans and just under 1/2 cup of water; (2 people) 2/3 cup dry beans and a bit under 1 cup of water; (3 people) 1 cup of dry beans and 1 cup + 1/4 cup of water; etc. Add the beans and the water to a pan on the stove at medium heat. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly. Cook until the beans are thick but still able to be spread evenly over a crispy tortilla. Alternately, use a can of refried beans, e.g., Rosarita’s Vegetarian Refried Pinto Beans. Add these beans to a pan and heat over medium heat until thoroughly warm.

  3. Take the toasted/fried tortillas and spread them out on plates to be made. Take several heaping tablespoons of beans and spread it in an even layer over each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of the beans, then add as many or as few of the other ingredients on top of the shell as you like.

  4. Enjoy! The food should be eaten open faced and quickly after plating. Tostadas can be messy so remember napkins!

In order to ensure that the tostadas are gluten free, make sure that the salsa, sour cream and beans are gluten free and that there is no wheat in the corn tortilla ingredients.

In order to be vegan, simply omit the cheese and sour cream or add vegan alternatives. Also, make sure that the beans are not made with lard (the recommended varieties are vegan/soy free/gluten free).

In order to be soy free, make sure that the oil, tortillas, salsa and sour cream are soy free and that the refried beans have not bean made with soybean oil.