Tostados (Recipe)

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious. These can be made as appetizers, but in our household, they're a meal. I like them, because it's one of the only ways all of my kids will eat Pinto Beans.

You'll need :

2 cups of cooked pintos (see below for my home-cooked pinto beans recipe)
2 Chipotle Peppers
1 clove of Garlic
1 TBLSP Olive Oil
2 cups Cabbage (thinly chopped strips)
1 large Tomato
Salt
1 medium Onion
1 Lime
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese (Mexican Crumbling Cheese is best, but I didn't have it so I used Shedded Cheddar)
1 package of Toasted Tortillas

Use the Cabbage (if you prefer, you can use lettuce, but I think Cabbage does work better), Onion & Tomato to make a salad - Cut the Lime into quarters and squeeze the juice from 2 quarters onto the salad. Mix well and set aside.

In a blender, add the beans (with about a cup of the juice from the beans), garlic, peppers. Blend quickly (leaving it a little chunky, if you like). Add about a tablespoon of oil to a frying pan, then put the bean mixture in the pan and cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Once the beans are done (and still warm), start making your tostados.

Spread Sour Cream over each toasted tortilla, then spread on the beans, sprinkle with cheese, put some of the salad mixture on top of that. ENJOY !

Pinto Beans :

These turn out perfect every time. If you find that they don't have enough flavor add a little more cummin and/or salt.

2 cups of dry Pintos

3 TeaSpoon of Cummin

1/2 Stick of Butter or Margarine

1 to 2 TeaSpoons of Lawry's Season Salt

Salt (to your taste)

6 cups of Water

Cook (covered) in crock pot for about 8 hours or until tender. Try not to over cook or the beans will lose their flavor.