I am linking up today with Beth Anne’s Best and Tales from Astoria for Meatless Mondays. Last Friday I made tostadas with soy charizo. I don’t usually eat soy, except for once of twice a year during Lent. You could easily make this meal with a can of refried beans but I wanted to make a fresh batch. The recipe I use is super easy. (Note: Excuse the photos. They were snapped in a hurry, sometimes with my phone, but it will give you the general idea.) 😉

In a large stock pot add the following:

• 16 oz package of dry pinto beans, sorted through (to remove rocks) and rinsed
• 1 large onion diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• (You could also add dried chilis but Brian and the kids don’t like things really spicy.)

Cover the beans and ingredients with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Then simmer for about 2 hours. Add more water if needed as you cook.

When the bean were done I opened up the charizo, removed the casing and cooked it in a non stick skillet.

Soy Charizo from Trader Joe’s

Beans are simmering. Charizo is cooking. Grilled cheese going for the boys.

Normally tostada tortillas are fried in oil but I wanted to try a healthier option so I baked some in the oven. I brushed the tortilla with canola oil and placed them in a preheated 400 degree oven. They are supposed to cook in about 5 minutes. Mine were crunchy but still a little chewy. I think I needed to cook them longer to give them more crunch and less chew. I’ll have to experiment on that one more.

While the tortillas were cooking I made the refried beans. In a pan I heated 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. I added beans and some of the bean broth. I mashed them, adding more broth as needed until they were the right consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

I then added the charizo to the pan and mixed. Then I topped the tortilla with a layer of charizo beans, lettuce, cheese, diced tomatoes and avocados. Yum. 🙂