Crunchy Tostadas with Pico de Gallo - Gluten Free

I hear "MOM... what's for dinner?" from the second I wake up in the morning. My kids seem shocked when I don't have the answer as I rub my tired eyes and attempt to tame my bedhead. The truth is that sometimes I don't know what's for dinner until minutes before preparing it. One thing I do know is that I will please the whole family if I prepare these satisfying tostadas, so I always keep the ingredients on hand. I lay all of of the toppings out on the counter in a row forming a "tostada bar". The kids seem to get a kick out of assembling their own. You would think they might put on too many toppings, but ironically, it's ME that ends up doing that! ;-) I just can't help it... these are so delicious! To speed things up I usually use a pre-packaged Fajita Seasoning mix, but feel free to season with spices from your pantry instead. I have tried it both ways and it is equally good. If you have extra re-fried beans, try serving them in individual ramekins with melted cheese, sour cream and hot sauce on top as a side dish. Enjoy this family favorite, from my country kitchen to yours.

Crunchy Tostadas with Pico de Gallo - Gluten Free

6 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil for frying

1 can vegetarian re-fried beans (or home made if you have them on hand)

2 tablespoons Taco seasoning (Mc Cormick is GF as of 5/26/09)

1 red bell pepper; sliced into strips

1 green bell pepper; sliced into strips

1 sweet onion; sliced into rings and cut in half

1 packet GF Fajita seasoning mix (Mc Cormick is GF as of 5/26/09)

1/4 cup water

Guacamole (purchased or home made)

Sour Cream

1 cup Cotija Cheese; crumbled

Pico de Gallo; recipe to follow (or purchased)

Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a small heavy skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot fry tortillas, one at a time for a short time on each side until golden and crunchy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add peppers and onion. Saute until almost tender. Add 1/4 cup water and and contents of Fajita Seasoning packet. Stir until seasonings are blended throughout, approx. 2 minutes. Place fajita vegetables in a bowl and cover to keep warm. Set Aside. Stir taco seasoning into re-fried beans. Heat beans. Cover to keep warm. Assemble tortillas: spread a thin layer of beans over tostada. Top with fajita vegetables, guacamole, sour cream and Pico de Gallo. Sprinkle with Cotija Cheese. Delicious! Yield: 6 servings

Enjoy!
Cinde :)

Recipe posted by Cinde: http://www.glutenfreetasteofhome.blogspot.com/


Pico de Gallo - Gluten Free

Pico de Gallo - Gluten Free

2 Roma tomatoes

1/4 of a sweet onion (this is 1/4 of the whole onion, not 1/4 cup)

1-2 pickled jalapeno slices

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon lime juice

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor in short bursts until desired consistency; serve. This recipe makes enough Pico de Gallo to top 6 tostadas. Double recipe if desired for more servings, or if making as a dip for tortilla chips.

Enjoy!