Tostadas (a.k.a. Mexican Pizzas) and Homemade Refried Beans

These Tostadas are pretty easy to make, makes for a gluten free meal, and can be easily served dairy free too. First you need either a Feingold approved can of refried beans or to make your own.

Refried Beans
In a pot, saute 1/2 cup onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil until translucent. Add 1 clove garlic, chopped, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cumin (or more to your taste). Add a can of beans (I've used black or pinto or even white) with the juice. Mix together with onions and spice. Puree this mixture in blender/food processor -OR- puree with a handheld immersion blender (which is what I did tonight). This way you can get it all mashed and pureed together in the same pot you cooked in!

Tostadas

Corn tortillas
canola or olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts (enough for my family of 5)
a lime or lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
salt
shredded cheese (if you want)
refried beans
toppings: salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts on a pan with sides (juice will accumulate). Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breasts in oven. If frozen, cook 45 minutes, if thawed, 30 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove from oven and shred it using two forks. It was actually pretty easy to shred when it was fresh from the oven. The chicken was nice and soft. Place the shredded chicken in a bowl and season with the juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp), 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp cumin and toss to coat the chicken.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp canola oil in a skillet and place the corn tortillas, one at a time, in the hot oil. Let them cook just until crisp and slightly browned on one side, flip with tongs and cook until crisp on the other side. [Note: they can burn if you put them in the skillet and go help a kid in the other room and forget about them for very long.] They only need a couple minutes on each side. Don't undercook them - they should get crispy like a hard taco shell. But, don't burn them either:) Remove from the pan to a baking sheet and sprinkle each tortilla with salt.

Put a heaping spoonful of your refried beans on each tortilla and spread it evenly. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Place in the oven under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Place a heaping spoonful of shredded chicken on top of the tostada and serve with optional garnishes of sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or whatever you like.

I have just recently decided that I was up for making my own salsa. I love salsa. We eat a lot of it as a family (mostly me probably). I think I was afraid that I'd have to cut up all those tomatoes from scratch. Well, have no fear...you can use canned tomatoes AND a food processor or blender! I was very relieved! Now, I have to make more every 2-3 days. But, it's easy!
Here is The Pioneer Woman's salsa recipe that I adapted my salsa recipe from. She uses Rotel, but it is not Feingold approved and I don't know what exactly the "spice" is in the ingredients list. So, I opted to just use plain, canned diced tomatoes instead. And, I sometimes add a small can of diced green chiles if I have them. It works just fine.