Tostados Quick Dinner For Family Or Parties
Tostados, made with tortillas, are perfect for a quick midweek meal. If you’re having guests, you can double the recipe. You can prepare the tortillas and the chicken filling and let each person individualize them with the various toppings.
The tortillas for this recipe are baked rather than fried. If you’re really pressed for time, buy cooked chicken and complete the recipe by tossing it in the dressing. Use chicken stock or water instead of the poaching liquid for the dressing.
This dinner is really a snap if you have a food processor. To save washing the processor bowl during preparation, chop all of the vegetables first and then mash the beans. If you don’t have a processor, chop the vegetables by hand and mash the beans with a fork.
This meal contains a total of 422 calories per serving, with 30 percent of calories from fat.
Quick tips:
-Red onion is used for the beans and as a garnish. Chop it all at one time and divide in half.
-To shred lettuce quickly, roll the leaves into a tube and cut into thin slices.
-Dried spices don’t last forever. If yours are older than 6 months, it’s time for new ones. There will be a big difference in flavor.
Chicken Tostados
4 6-inch corn tortillas
Vegetable oil spray
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons chicken poaching liquid, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3 medium sized jalapeno peppers, divided (3 tablespoons chopped)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 medium clove crushed garlic
1 8-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained ( cup)
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For tortillas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil. Place tortillas on tray and spray with vegetable oil spray. Turn and spray other sides. Bake 5 minutes in oven. Remove from oven and turn. Bake 5 more minutes. Set aside.
For chicken: Remove as much fat as possible from chicken and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place in small saucepan and add cold water. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and the oregano to water. Bring to a simmer and gently cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and let chicken cool in liquid 5 minutes. Remove 4 tablespoons poaching liquid. In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons chicken poaching liquid, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 chopped jalapeno pepper together. Remove chicken from poaching liquid and toss in the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Leave in dressing until ready to use.
For beans: If using a food processor, chop onions, remove 2 tablespoons and set aside. Add garlic and remaining 2 jalapeno peppers. Add beans, remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 tablespoons chicken poaching liquid and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Puree to a smooth paste.
To assemble: Place 2 tortillas each on individual plates. Shred lettuce. Spread tortillas with bean mixture. Spoon chicken and lettuce on top of beans. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped red onion. Top with sour cream. Serve with tomatoes. Or, place all the tostado ingredients on dishes on the table and let each person assemble them.
Yield: 2 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 407 calories, 25 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, 14 grams fat (29 percent fat calories), 9 grams fiber, 41 milligrams cholesterol, 462 milligrams sodium.
Cilantro Tomatoes
1 ripe medium-size tomato, diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Pinch sugar (about 1/8 teaspoon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix all of the ingredients together. Taste for seasoning and add more as needed.
Yield: 2 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 15 calories, 0.6 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, 0.2 grams fat (11 percent fat calories), 1 gram fiber, no cholesterol, 7 milligrams sodium.