Tostadas Easy Meal

OK. You’re clueless about what to cook for dinner. What do you do now?

Most of us know how easily we fall into a rut when it comes to making meals. What we forget is that not everyone finds the dinner question as big a challenge. In fact, someone you encounter today is probably bubbling over with a great plan for dinner. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and they would not hesitate to share their brilliant ideas with you.

So here’s what you do. Consider all those people with whom you make contact during the day. Nonchalantly ask about their dinner plans as part of the conversation.

Talk to the receptionist at the doctor’s office, the clerk at the grocery store, the bank teller at the drive-through and the cheerful person taking your order at your favorite espresso stand. You may be pleasantly surprised at the responses you get. Or, at the very least, you’ll find a whole group of people who can commiserate with your predicament.

Consider picking up the phone and calling Mom, Grandma or one of your sisters. It may take a while to get around to the topic of dinner, but ultimately you’ll come away cheered by those very same people who used to sit around the table with you.

Don’t rule out the wisdom of your neighborhood librarians. From personal experience, I know that they are the most resourceful people on earth. If they can’t help you, they’ll at least point you to one of the new cookbooks or recommend you ask at the reference desk.

Then there are those in your immediate family and their desires, needs and wants. It’s best not to fall into the trap of trying to get everyone to agree on one thing because, like our own dear City Council, consensus is hard to get when everyone has a personal agenda.

So start early in the day and reach out to all those people around you who just might know the answer to your question of what’s cookin’ tonight.

Do-It-Yourself Tostadas From “Lucy Waverman’s Fast & Fresh Cookbook” (Firefly Books, 1997).

4 flour tortillas

2 cups grated nonfat or reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1/2 cup prepared salsa

4 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 cup light sour cream

3 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

Spread tortillas with cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake 3 to 4 minutes, or until cheese melts. Place salsa, lettuce, sour cream and green onions in separate bowls. Serve warm tortillas beside bowls of toppings. Fold tortilla over toppings for easy eating.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (using nonfat cheese): 232 calories, 5 grams fat (19 percent fat calories), 23 grams carbohydrate, 23 grams protein, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 898 milligrams sodium.