Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas - Easy!!!



Hi guys,
I'm always on www.foodnetwork.com trying to find new recipes from my favorite chefs. It's up there with internet banking, people ;)

My fiance loves Mexican food so I found this and decided to try it. Its also healthy. Well, its healthy except for one thing, the tostadas. They're fried but in my version of this recipe, they're whole wheat so it balances out. lol. During the week we really try to eat healthy so that we can indulge on the weekend.
When Andre and I made this the first time, we absolutely loved it! Fajitas have taken a bit of a back seat lately. My sister loves it too..as a matter of fact, if I want to make sure she comes over, I tell her that I'm making these! Like yesterday, for instance.

Its a fun and interactive recipe because you build your own tostada and I love to add...avocado, salsa, shredded cheese as topping options.
Another reason I love this recipe so much is because you can change or even omit certain ingredients and it'll still be still be fantastic. There are so many interesting flavors that if you're missing one, the others make up for it. However, I don't want you to think that these flavors are overpowering- they're not. There are many flavors that simply compliment each other.
Anyway, I've put the original recipe here but you'll see that I've changed it up a bit.

Ingredients
-1/4 cup canola oil , plus more for frying
-4 corn tortillas, preferably white - (I can't find these so I buy whole wheat flour tortillas)

-Kosher salt
-1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 teaspoon ground cumin - (I put 1/2 a teaspoon or it would surely overpower the dish with armpittiness - sorry, that was gross.)
-1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-Freshly ground pepper
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 tablespoon ancho chili paste or adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo) - (I didn't have any last time and it was fine.)
-1/4 cup fresh lime juice
-2 teaspoons brown sugar - (1 tsp is fine)
-2 cups finely shredded green or red cabbage
-1 bunch radishes (about 6), julienned
-1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped - (when I can't find this , I sub with parsley , but it is muuuch better with cilantro.)
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded into large pieces - (I cut it into smaller pieces, like medium sized cubes. its just easier to eat that way.)

(Optional) Guacamole or chopped avocado
(Optional) Shredded , low fat tex-mex Kraft cheese
(Optional) Montreal steak spice - no substitutes! I put that stuff on everything!! Its to sprinkle on the chicken to give it that "i just barbecued this chicken" flavor.

Official Directions (see my notes below)

Heat 1/2 inch oil in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Fry tortillas one at a time until golden and crisp, 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Cool the oil slightly and discard all but 2 tablespoons. Add the beans and cumin and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the broth and cook, smashing the beans, until saucy and hot. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk the garlic, chili paste, 2 tablespoons lime juice, the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup oil to make a dressing; add the cabbage, radishes and cilantro and toss. Mix the sour cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in another bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Top each tortilla with beans, chicken, cabbage salad and sour cream.


Stephanie's Extras


I didn't have cabbage so I chopped a handful of radishes and less than 1/2 a red onion, - added parsley, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and it turned out great. I didn't really measure the ingredients- just did it by eye, tasted and adjusted.


I like to reheat my pieces of rotisserie chicken quickly in a pan and that's when I sprinkle about 2-3 shakes of Montreal Steak Spice. If I have some, I pour in 1/4 cup of chicken stock into the pan- obviously to add moisture. It works wonders. I let it evaporate and remove the chicken from the heat.

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