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.) š
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. š
[…] The blogger that linked up the most was the Revolution of Love Blog! She linked up some great recipes including Quesadillas, Minestrone Soup, Chilli Cornbread, Vegetarian Chilli, and Soy Charizo Tostadas with homemade refried beans. […]