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Every night it happens…
5pm and ravenous children!
Instantly, as though their bodies tell them “Hey, it’s 5pm and you must eat…NOW!”, my two kiddos invade my kitchen searching for anything edible!
I promise I feed them all day.
I have two goals for dinner meals: easy and loaded with nutrients!
The least amount of time I can spend in my kitchen making dinner and the more prep work I can do ahead of time makes my sweet soul sing dinner praises. I also refuse to compromise our food choices and let’s face it, real food takes time and work! When cooking from scratch, a lot of time and love pours out of my kitchen.
I love meals that pack lots of nourishment into one simple meal. I am the kind of shopper that wants to feel like I am getting a huge “bang” for my buck. I transfer this thinking into my kitchen. If I can make jam that not only is filled with good fruit but also packed with veggies…let’s do it!
A macaroni and cheese filled with veggies and greens…Amen!
A tortilla loaded with good fats, protein, and mountains of veggies…well, you get the point!
I want to know I am getting the most out of the meals I prepare and feed my family!
Mexican Tostadas
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pinto beans
- 1 onion halved
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 3 garlic cloves whole
- water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 8 tortillas corn
- toppings lettuce, spinach, green/red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, pastured sour cream (I use raw), guacamole, salsa, sliced peppers, anything your heart desires
Instructions
- The night before, soak pinto beans in a large bowl of water. The beans will absorb most of the water during the night, make sure there is plenty of water and the beans have room to “grow”.
- After 12-24 hours, drain the water, rinse the beans and pour into a large stockpot.
- Fill with enough water to cover the beans. Add in the whole garlic cloves, onion, and cumin.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 2 hours, until the beans are tender.
- Once fork tender, add 1 teaspoon of real salt, more or less depending on taste.
- Remove the onion (it was just for flavor) and strain most of the water. You will want about 1 cup of water remaining with the beans.
- Using a potato masher, mash, mash, mash away!
- Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Heat 1/4 cup of coconut oil in a skillet.
- Cook each tortillas till crispy, about 2 minutes on each side.
- Set crispy tortillas aside.
- Place the crispy tortillas on a baking sheet, top with a couple tablespoons of refried beans, and grated cheese.
- Cook in the oven until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Top with favorite toppings.
Nutrition
This simple recipe does require time. After all, we aren’t talking about opening a can of beans. Although if you choose to use canned beans I won’t show up with the food police. Once the prep work of the beans is complete, this dinner is easy and loaded with more veggies and good fats than some boring salad at the salad bar.
When soaking the beans, do you cover the bowl with a towel?
Also, every time I try making pinto beans (or any beans for that matter) they end up powder-y when theyre done cooking. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong?
Have you tried cooking them in a slow cooker instead of stovetop? They shouldn’t be powdery, make sure your water level never gets lower than covering the top of the beans-they should always be submerged.
I made these for dinner this past week and fried the tortillas in the coconut oil. It’s the first time I’ve ever fried tortillas like that. OH – MY – GOODNESS!!! The tortillas were SO delicious! I almost filled up on just the tortillas before we ate dinner. They almost had a sweet taste. I was thinking they might be good crumbled on top of ice cream! Mmm!
That’s a fantastic idea. They are so good! I always find myself snacking on a few 🙂
Mmm…these sound delicious! Have you ever tried throwing the beans into your blender instead of mashing them?
Yes, I have and you will get a much smoother consistency this way. The only issue is you have to wait for them to be cool to blend them. I have tried using warm beans…it was a disaster to say the least!