I CHOOSE to eat Tostadas!

I subscribe to a bunch of nutrition newsletters and this week, I got some information that stopped me in my tracks. Are you ready? I discovered that….

“A basket of tortilla chips at your favorite Mexican Restaurant has 640 calories and 34 grams of fat.”

Gulp.

In the past, this information would make me resolve to never eat a basket of tortilla chips again. When I was living in my food is good/food is bad era (and it was an era!) knowing these statistics would put tortilla chips in the bad column for good! And I would deny myself for a couple of weeks, crave them…do you know how this story ends? That’s right, with me coated in tortilla crumbs!

Instead, tortilla chips are in my “Eat Them Whenever I Choose To” column. Knowing this information may help me choose not to eat them as often or choose to actually share the basket with my husband! I may also choose to create a healthy tostada recipe and get all the yummy corn crunchiness at home in a healthier package! This is in fact what I did and I am including that recipe for you.

Are you ready to take something out of your “bad” column and move it over to your “Eat Whenever I Choose To” column? If so, please comment and let us all know what you will be choosing to eat this week!

Kidney Bean Tostadas
Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Yea for healthy Mexican food! Tostadas are like open-faced crunchy tacos. These are made with homemade “chips” and tasty kidney beans.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped (scrape out seeds with your knife, don’t touch them with your hands if you can help it)
1 15-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies, not drained
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained well
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, beans and spices and cook for 10 minutes longer or until heated though. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tostada:
Sprouted grain corn tortillas
Olive oil or spray
Preheat oven to 375F. Brush or spray whole tortillas with oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until crispy.

Healthy Toppings:
Lettuce or cabbage
Avocado slices
Tomatoes or Salsa

Assemble tostadas by placing a tortilla on a plate, topping with beans and lettuce, avocado and salsa. Enjoy!

This healthy recipe and food for though are excerpted from my Weekly Meal Plan. Try it free for a whole month by clicking here.

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