Black bean tostadas with salsa

Contributed by Preston Maring, MD


Black bean tostadas with salsa
I offer another favorite that was inspired by a recipe on the NYT Cooking app. I added poblano, cayenne, and crisped the tortilla in the oven rather than the microwave. These tostadas got rave reviews.

Servings: 4 to 8

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola, safflower, or grapeseed oil
  • 1 poblano pepper, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted in a skillet and ground in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder
  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans (reduced salt or no salt added)
  • Large pinch of cayenne
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 8 8-inch tortillas

Salsa

  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (unless real tomatoes are in season)
  • 2 1/4-inch slices red or white onion
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large jalapeño, minced
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 Hass avocado, diced
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Garnish

  • Thin shreds of lettuce or cabbage
  • Grated cheese of choice

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the tortillas in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake until crispy, maybe 10 minutes. Turn on your oven light and watch them to make sure they don't burn.
  2. Drain the tomatoes. Soak the onion slices in water for about five minutes, dry on a paper towel, and then dice. To a mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, chopped cilantro, minced jalapeño, lime juice, onion, and avocado. Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at least 30 minutes for the flavor to develop.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the poblano until the skin is soft. Add the cumin. When it sizzles, add the beans with their liquid. Bring to a gentle boil. Stir and smash as they cook. Add some cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Continue to cook and smash until most of the liquid is gone and you have "spreadable" black beans.
  4. Plate the crispy tostadas. Top with black beans, salsa, lettuce and cheese.

Nutrition information (per serving)

  • Calories: 264
  • Total fat: 11 g
  • Saturated fat: 4 g
  • Cholesterol: 15 mg
  • Total carbohydrate: 33 g
  • Sodium: 174 mg
  • Dietary fiber: 10 g
  • Total sugars: 1 g
  • Protein: 12 g

For 8 servings, using corn tortillas topped with 1/4 cup shredded lettuce and 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.