Meatless Monday – Black Bean, Avocado and Tomato Tostadas

Black Bean, Avocado and Tomato Tostadas

Serves 4

My Mexican friend Gaby first introduced me to the joy of tostadas which I can only describe as a flattish round taco!

This Mexican feast is so easy to throw together and has the trifecta of being fresh, fast and delicious.

The topping possibilities are almost endless which makes  these tasty tostadas the perfect addition to the Meatless Monday repetoire. I like to put all of the toppings in separate bowls in the middle of the table,  and then we each add our topping of choice on top of the beans. Topping the tostadas is almost as much fun as eating as them.

Use your hands to tuck in, and pick up and hold your tostada as you would a piece of pizza.

And if you’re eating low iodine,  skip the sour cream and tortilla, you’re got yourself a delicious taco bowl. Win, win!

Black Bean, Avocado and Tomato Tostadas 2

Ingredients

8 corn tortillas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 brown onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

5 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

3 x 400g cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 small red onion, sliced thinly

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

100ml cider vinegar

1 large avocado, diced

Sliced jalapenos, in brine

Sour cream, to serve (optional)

Black Bean, Avocado and Tomato Tostadas 3

How to

  1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced.
  2. Start by pickling the onion. Put it in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Leave it for ten minutes and then stir in the vinegar and leave it to pickle for another 10 minutes.
  3. Brush tortillas with 2 teaspoons of the oil and place in a single layer on  baking trays. Cook for about 8 minutes until crisp.
  4. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens. Add the paprika, cumin, vinegar and honey and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
  5. Add the beans and season. Cook for 1-2 minutes until heated through. Remove from the heat and lightly mash the beans to  a chunky puree.
  6. Spread some bean mixture over the tortilla. Add a dollop of sour cream, tomatoes, pickled onion and avocado. If you think spicy as nicey, top it off with some chipotle sauce and some jalapenos.

Other info

Prep time: 10 minutes   Cooking time: 20 minutes

TIP! The tostadas are also great served with shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced red capsicum and grated tasty cheese.

You should always use the bean as the first layer because they spread so well, and the other toppings stick to the beans better than they will to the dry tortilla!

Don’t overload your tostada because it might crack under the strain or just be too darn difficult to eat!

Black Bean, Avocado and Tomato Tostadas 4