Our favorite fast Tostadas

These quick and yummy Tostadas have extra delicious layers of flavor dimension. 

Creamy, savory refried beans, the caramelized flavor of the onions and peppers, the sweet tomato-y sauce, smokiness from the bacon fat/smoked paprika, the crisp corn tortilla flavor, and the freshness of romaine, tomatoes, and cilantro are all perfectly complimented with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese. We love these at our house!

No more needs to be said really. What? You want the recipe?

I have to say, I have not cared for most of the tostadas that have been served to me. The beans are usually dry and flavorless and then they are usually just topped with iceberg lettuce, prefab cheese, and salsa that is too heavy on the chili powder. I wanted a tostada that rose above all that. I wanted to create a more interesting tostada for my buds... My tastebuds. This is what I came up with.

This dinner is very easy to put together, You can cook everything at the same time and it will be ready in minutes. I like to start with the onions, and then start refrying the beans. I make the tomato sauce last. In between, I prep the toppings and make the guacamole.

The refried beans are the recipe I posted here earlier, but this time I refried them in bacon fat. I usually use deodorized coconut oil, so use what ever you like.

The tomato sauce was inspired by a mildly sweet chile relleno sauce I have had at +La Casita Restaurant in Springville, Utah (YUM). You may also flavor the tomato sauce with smoked paprika, or smoked hot chipotle pepper, and maybe a pinch of Mexican oregano, to taste.

Top with our Favorite Reduced Fat Sour Cream Blend.

Serve with a side of my Chili's Copy Cat Salsa recipe.


Get ready to have your tastebuds sing!


Our Favorite Tostadas Recipe:

Components:

Crisp corn tortillas (pre-made in the Mexican food section)
Refried Beans
Tomato Sauce
Sauteed Onions & Peppers
Shredded cheese
Diced tomatoes
Diced romaine lettuce
Minced fresh cilantro, optional
Our Favorite sour Cream Blend, or regular sour cream
Chili's Copy Cat Salsa, optional
Guacamole, optional
Lime wedges, optional



Sauteed Onions & Peppers:

1 Sweet or regular onion
1 Sweet red bell pepper
1-2 T. deodorized coconut oil (may use 1 T. bacon fat)
A pinch of baking soda
A pinch of BioSalt or sea salt

Method:

Slice into this slivers the onion and bell pepper.
Saute the onions slowly in oil along with the baking soda and salt, which speed caramelization.
When the onions are translucent, add the bell pepper and mix together.
Continue to saute, stirring occasionally until tender and starting to caramelize.



Easy Re-fried Beans recipe:

2 T. virgin or deodorized coconut oil and/or bacon fat
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 pinch hot red chili pepper flakes
1 can refried beans of choice
1/4 c. plus 2 T. purified water, divided
1/2 t. onion powder
1 pinch cumin powder


Method:

Saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in coconut oil until very fragrant and sizzling.

Add the can of beans and stir to mix together.

Add 1/4 c. water to thin the beans, mixing in well.

Add the onion powder and a pinch of cumin. mix in well.

Brown the beans, turning occasionally, until they thicken up and have areas that are browned nicely. This gives a great flavor to the re-fried beans.

Add a touch more water (about 2 T.) to thin the beans to a nice consistency.

Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. If you used unsalted beans, add salt to taste.



Tomato Sauce:

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
1 T. plus 2 t. sugar (Lakanto sweetener or xylitol) (or use 2 T. or more of  erythritol or maltitol)
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion salt
1/4 c. purified water
1/8 t. smoked paprika (or chipotle to taste, for added heat), optional

Method:

Place all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer 5 minutes. Keep warm and set aside.



Speedy & Delicious Guacamole:

Ripe avocados
Onion salt, to taste
A pinch of garlic powder
A squeeze of lemon or lime juice, optional

Method:

Scoop the ripe avocado out of it's shell and put into a small bowl.
Sprinkle with the seasonings and citrus juice, and mash with a fork.
Add enough onion salt so the guacamole has a great flavor, and serve.



TOSTADA ASSEMBLY:

Top crispy tortillas in this order:

Spread tortilla with the hot refried beans, sprinkle with cheese, pour on some warm tomato sauce, add sauteed onions & peppers, shredded romaine lettuce, guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, and garnish with a lime wedge.

ENJOY!


Note: Alternately, you may brown flour tortillas in deodorized 76 degree coconut oil until crispy.


Photos of the cooking process:

Starting to caramelize the onions with a pinch of baking soda and BioSalt.

This dinner is very easy and fast to prepare.

Adding the red bell pepper to the softened onions.

Sauteing the onions and peppers.

The onions and peppers are finished.

The easy refried beans are about ready.

Simmering the tomato tostada sauce.

Putting the toppings on the tostada. The sauce adds a special touch.

The tostada all dressed and ready to go.

A plated tostada with toppings and my Copy-Cat Chili's Salsa recipe.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Easy Chicken Chile Verde Soup (with 2 variations) PLUS How to Caramelize Onions Faster!

Here is another EASY pantry meal: Chicken Chile Verde Soup. Iv'e been doing a lot of sugar-free candy formulating lately (like marshmallows and caramel), so I have needed quick meals for the family, preferably ones that make great leftovers!

Creamy Chicken Chile Verde Soup

I felt like creating a new Mexican-style soup using the batch of home made chicken stock I just made. We like to buy rotisserie chickens from Costco for a quick meal. I then usually make chicken stock from what ever is left of the chicken. Having so much freshly made chicken stock on hand, I am always seeking new ways to use it because we like variety at our house.

Today I felt like Mexican, but I didn't want a black bean soup, or a tortilla soup, or even a red Mexican soup. So tomatillos came to mind, and roasted green chilies...and I was off!

The recipe posted here is what I came up with. I am pleased with the results, especially when my husband said it is now one of his top favorite soups ever. The rest of the family really enjoyed it too.

I like to stock my pantry with some Mexican staples, which makes putting this soup together very quick and easy.

This soup has a lot going on. It is loaded with goodies. It has a nice tang and brightness from the tomatillos and lime, and is accented with a touch of sweetness to balance out the flavor of the roasted peppers. It also has an appealing smoky depth from the chipotle and smoked paprika. And we always love what caramelized onions bring to the party, right?

Here is a tip about caramelizing onions more quickly and creating a more flavorful result: 
Add a pinch of baking soda, and for the best flavor a pinch of salt while you are sauteing the onions. They will brown faster and have superior flavor this way. The baking soda changes the pH in a way that affects something called the Maillard Reaction (the browning process). Now you know.

I created 2 soup varieties.: A dairy-free version and an extra creamy version. I served the extra creamy version.


Leila's Easy Chicken Chile Verde Soup (2 ways):

1-2 T. coconut oil and/or butter
A pinch of baking soda
4 large garlic cloves
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. Mexican oregano
25 grinds black pepper, to taste
A pinch ground chipotle pepper, to taste
1/4 t. granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
1 4.25-ounce can chopped pitted black olives
1 7-ounce can Fire Roasted Diced Green Chilies  (La Victoria brand has the best roasted flavor)
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatillos (like Hatch brand)
1 15-ounce can Great Northern beans (white beans), undrained
1 28-ounce can green chile enchilada sauce (like El Paso brand)
1 29-ounce can Mexican Style Hominy (like Juanita's brand), drained
1 quart home made chicken stock, or organic boxed chicken stock
1/4 c. good quality white wine, optional
2 t. BioSalt or sea salt
1/2 t. onion salt
Shredded chicken meat (about a pound), to taste
1 lime, juiced
3 T. Brown Just Like Sugar and/or raw honey (I used 2 T just Like Sugar and 1 T. honey) *

1 block (8-ounces) Neufchatel or cream cheese, optional for the creamy version of this soup


Garnishes:

Minced cilantro
Avocado slices
Mexican cheese
Diced ripe tomatoes
Sour cream
Smoked paprika


Method:

Saute the onion in the oil, adding a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of BioSalt to caramelize the onions faster.

Smash the garlic with some of the salt called for and add to the almost finished onions. Saute.

Add the smoked paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper, and chipotle powder. Saute until fragrant to bloom the flavors of the spices.

Add all of the canned goods and chicken stock and let the soup simmer about 30 minutes or so. The soup will thicken slightly.

Add the cooked and shredded chicken meat.

To make the creamy version of this soup: Cut up the block of Neufchatel or cream cheese into cubes and stir into the soup, and let simmer a few minutes to let the cheese melt, stirring to speed the melting process. Turn down the heat so that the soup doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the rest of the BioSalt called for and the juice of 1 lime.

Add the Just Like Sugar and/or raw honey. If using honey, add just before serving so that you don't boil the honey. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve hot with garnishes of choice.


Note: You may also use Lakanto's golden zero-calorie granular sweetener instead of Just Like Sugar.


Tip: I think a lovely appetizer would be my Chili"s Copy Cat Salsa recipe and corn chips!

Get your ingredients ready.

Caramelizing the onions.

Adding the canned ingredients to the soup.

The finished Dairy-Free Chicken Chile Verde Soup (not the creamy version).

The Dairy-Free Soup Version garnished and ready to eat.

The Creamy Chicken Chile Verde Soup is finished (with the cheese added).

The Creamy chicken Chile Verde Soup is served.

How I like to smash my garlic, releasing the maximum amount of flavor oils.

Brown Just Like Sugar (a healthy sugar-free brown sugar replacement).

Enjoy,

Leila.


P.S.   In case you were curious about how my sugar-free candy testing is coming out...

Sugar-Free Hand Wrapped Vanilla Caramels.

Fluffy Sugar-Free Vanilla Marshmallows.

Author, Leila.

An easy refreshing tropical meal: Coconut Black Beans & Rice with Fried Bananas

Leila's Coconut Rice with Black Beans & Caramelized bananas (vegetarian or vegan, and gluten-free)

This is a quick and tasty dinner to make. We love it at our house. My daughter will even eat the leftovers cold in her school lunch (her doing, not mine). It is a nice family meal for when you don't feel like eating meat. You can easily make it vegan by using all coconut oil instead of butter. This meal is also naturally gluten-free (just check your salsa ingredients).

I adore caramelized bananas! My mom would make them for me as I was growing up. At the time, she always used real butter, and we ALWAYS salted them. They are like nature's version of salted caramels. The trick with the bananas is not to use too high of heat, or you will scorch them instead of caramelize them. Being patient is worth it. Make the bananas as the rice is cooking. Also prepare all the garnishes as the rice and beans finish up.

Bananas this ripe and even riper, are used.

Lay the bananas cut side down in the prepared pan.

They are looking caramely on the edges and are ready to turn.

Leila's Coconut Rice with Black Beans & Caramelized bananas
Serves 4.

Ingredients:

The Rice:
2 c. basmati rice (white or brown) with 1/2 t. sea salt or Leila's BioSalt, cooked in a rice cooker according to rice cooker directions
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (can use 2 cans to up the protein and fiber)
2 T. raw agave nectar, optional *

The Caramelized Bananas:
1 T. coconut oil (deodorized or virgin)
1 T. real butter, or ghee (clarified butter)
4 to 6 very ripe bananas (or as many bananas as you can cram in the pan!)
Sea salt, or Leila's BioSalt, to taste (my BioSalt recipe is in my first blog post)

Garnish with:
the Caramelized Bananas (above)
raw baby spinach leaves
diced pineapple, fresh or canned
golden raisins, optional (or chopped dates)
scallions, minced
shredded jicama
red bell pepper, chopped, optional
sugar snap pea pods, optional
fruit salsa (like peach-mango salsa)
cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

The Rice: 
Cook the rice, 1/2 t. salt and water amount called for in your rice cooker until done.
Leave the rice cooker on the keep warm setting.
Fluff the rice and stir in the can of coconut milk. Toss gently to blend.
After the coconut milk has been absorbed by the rice, add the canned black beans and toss.
Let the rice cooker's keep warm feature warm the beans and rice mixture.

The Caramelized Bananas:
Melt the butter and coconut oil in a large non-stick frying pan, over med-high heat.
Peel and cut in half lengthwise 4 to 6 very ripe bananas.
Place banana halves, cut side down into the melted fats in the pan.
Let the bananas start sizzling before you turn the heat down to medium heat.
When the underneath sides look golden brown and caramelized, sprinkle salt over them and turn them over. Caramelize the other side and lightly salt. Turn heat to very low to keep warm, until use.

Putting it all together:
On individual serving plates, first put a bed of baby spinach, then portion the rice & bean mixture over top. Top with caramelized bananas, pineapple, and other desired fruit and vegetable garnishes.
Finish off by topping with the fruit salsa and cilantro.

At our house we load up on the fruit and vegetable toppings and we like a generous amount of fruit salsa.


* Note: You may omit the agave and use Lakanto's Golden zero-cal granular sweetener instead. I would add it to the cooking water so that it will fully dissolve.


Enjoy!

Author: Leila Wood.

My Favorite Seared Fajitas - Plus a Tortilla Review

My Favorite Fajitas

These have been made in my home for many years, and we never tire of them. They are easy to make and very flavorful. The fresh lemon juice in the marinade is perfect. I have even let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 3 days before making. I did not do that on purpose, life just got busy. I imagine you could marinate the meat and freeze in serving-size packets for make ahead meals.

You can use any type of tortilla you want to. For this particular dinner we tried a new organic whole wheat flour tortilla. They are thinner than most tortillas, which I like. See the review for these tortillas at the end of this post.

For a gluten-free meal, make this a chicken fajita salad or use gluten-free tortillas (usually yucky though, I'm afraid). If you ever find a delicious GF tortilla, let me know.

Use vegan sour cream and cheese, if you are into that.

Of course you can vary your toppings too. Your favorite bottled salsa will do when tomatoes are not in season.

Oh Yeah. I ate 2 of these babies for dinner!

My Favorite Fajitas Recipe:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or beef

Marinade:

1 to 2 cloves garlic, smashed well
1 1/2 t.gluten-free seasoned salt (recipe on our blog)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. gluten-free chili powder
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. rice bran oil or light olive oil
2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fajita:

3 to 4 T. deodorized coconut oil
1 c. sliced onion
1 c. red bell pepper
1 c. yellow bell pepper
8 flour tortillas, of choice, warmed
2 avocados, sliced or mashed with onion salt, garlic powder, and lemon juice
1/2 c. chopped scallions
sour cream of choice (Reduced Fat Sour Cream Blend - recipe on this blog)
shredded cheese of choice
fresh salsa
fresh cilantro, minced


Method:

Cut the meat into thin strips (you may partially freeze for easier cutting).
Marinate the sliced meat in the combined marinade for 2 hours (even up to 3 days in fridge is o.k.)
Quickly saute the vegetables in coconut oil until lightly browned (sear them over med-high heat).
Remove vegetables from pan.
Saute the meat in coconut oil about 4 minutes.
Toss the meat with the vegetables and serve.
Spoon meat & veggie mixture into flour tortillas.
Garnish with avocado, sour sream, scallions, cheese, salsa, and cilantro as desired.


Tip:

I like the way restaurants serve fajitas seared and sizzling. Without having to grill the meat on an outdoor grill, this is what I do in my home kitchen:

I will often cook the meat in a large non-stick skillet while I am searing the vegetables in a well-oiled cast iron pan. I remove the vegetables and set aside. I drain the barely cooked meat, reserving the juices. I add the barely cooked meat to the well-oiled cast iron skillet and toss, to quickly sear it a minute or so. I then add the vegetables back to the skillet with the meat and toss to warm through. To finish the fajitas off, I pour the reserved juices over top. toss and serve.






Here are some photos of the fajita making process:

Thinly slice the partially frozen meat.

Meat and marinade ingredients before being well mixed together.

Vegetables being prepped.

Searing the peppers in a cast iron skillet.

Cooking the meat and vegetables separately to save time.

The onions are looking nicely seared.

Tossing the meat and vegetables together before serving.

My husband about to dig in!

Flour Tortilla Review:

Los Fortunitas Organic Flour Tortillas

My husband and I were on our regular Costco date, when we saw these being sampled. Of course we tried them. We bought them because they were organic whole wheat tortillas, and mostly because they are thin. I hate the thick, pasty white flour ones sold in stores. These actually resemble my favorite uncooked tortilla also sold at Costco, called Tortilla Land All Natural Fresh Uncooked Tortillas (Restaurant authentic). They are yum, but made with white flour, so we don't eat them very often.

I recommend gently warming these up before eating them, do not let them dry out. They are easier to use than the uncooked ones, which is nice. I like that they are healthier too. The texture of these tortillas is excellent. Finally, a whole wheat tortilla that doesn't taste like cardboard.

If I were to go on taste alone, these rank as my 2nd favorite tortilla that's sold in stores. If I were to consider nutrition too, this is my first choice.

Honestly, my mom's gluten-free tortillas rule, but they aren't sold in stores. Booo.

So there you go, my review is complete.

Enjoy!

Leila

CHILI'S Salsa - A Copy-Cat Recipe

CHILI'S Salsa Copy Cat Recipe



We are kind of obsessed with this salsa at our house. My daughter and her friends will eat a whole batch with a bag of corn tortilla chips, every chance they get. This is our preferred salsa recipe in the winter when garden fresh tomatoes are no longer available.

We have a favorite summer salsa recipe too, which I will share with you later. This recipe is made healthier, in that it is sugar-free, and it uses balanced salt, which may help with water retention.


CHILI'S COPY CAT SALSA Recipe;

1 14.5 ounce can tomatoes with green chilies
1 14.5 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, plus the juice
1/4 c. yellow onion, diced
1 T. canned, diced jalapenos (not pickled), or fresh, to taste (or a pinch of red pepper flakes)
1/2 t. cumin powder
1/2 t. BIOSALT (recipe on blog)
1/2 t. BALANCED GARLIC SALT (recipe on blog)
1/4 t. xylitol 
a squeeze of fresh lime, optional

Method:

In a food processor place onions and jalapenos. Process a few seconds.
Add both cans of tomatoes, cumin, salt, garlic salt, and xylitol.
Process until well blended, but not pureed.
Taste for seasoning, add a squeeze of lime, if using,
Chill a couple hours (we never wait that long).
Serve with tortilla chips.

My salsa (without cilantro added) and our favorite brand of tortilla chips!

My salsa with the addition of cilantro.

The Salsa served with our Favorite Tostadas.

Dig in!

Leila