Secret Snack Dinners

When Jack is away, as he is now, I tend to revert to fast, easy snack-like meals. I always have tortillas and refried beans in the house to satisfy my ongoing cravings for Mexican (okay, maybe not strictly Mexican in this case) food. Given a choice I'd eat some form of tortillas, beans and salsa or pico de gallo many times a week.

Bean and Cheese Tostadas with Pico de Gallo

Corn tortillas
Refried beans (I buy small cans of vegetarian refried pinto beans)
Red chili paste
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
Pico de Gallo (below)
Sour Cream

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Fry as many tortillas as your eyes and stomach tell you to (two usually does it for me) and let them drain on paper towels.

Mix the refried beans with a few teaspoons of red chili paste (or salsa or what ever you have on hand), and spread a dollop onto each tortilla.

Place the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each one with cheese. Pop them into the oven and let the cheese melt.

Plate them up and top with lettuce, pico de gallo and a dollop of sour cream.

Pico de Gallo

3 plum tomatoes
1 - 2 jalapenos
1 small white onion
1 lime
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Finely chop the tomatoes, jalapenos and onion and combine in a bowl. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice, one half at a time, over the chopped vegetables, to taste. Add the cilantro and stir. Cover and let site for an hour to marry the flavors. Taste and adjust according to preference (you may want more chili or cilantro or lime juice).

Comments

[dhanggit]

You know Ann, i'm just like you..;when hubby isn't here....i always try to make effort to prepare some good stuffs but fastly done or else I wont have the courage to eat alone...but of course its different now with my baby at home..when he is on travel..i ate the rest of last night while she drinks her milk :-)

btw, i love this bean and cheese tostadas recipe you did..i like mexican food but i never tried doing one..

[Zenchef]

I take half a dozen of those! :-)
Where's my friend Jack?

[anna]

I do the exact same thing when my guy is gone...I will have cheese and olives and crackers for dinner, or something weird involving eggs, or just extremely strange leftover combinations...though I bet he thinks I just eat super-healthy meals when I'm on my own, like steamed kale and brown rice or something. We're having tostadas tonight, and your photos make me even more excited about it!

[Big Boys Oven]

One word to describe, GORGEOUS!

[Manggy]

Why did you say this wasn't strictly Mexican? It looks pretty good and authentic to me :) I would add some sweet corn kernels just for sweetness... Mexico can shun me if they like :D

Aww, Monterey "Jack" cheese. Kidding. I don't blame you if you find my sentimentality disgusting, haha! :)

[Susan]

Pico de gallo is one of the most guileless and rousing condiments ever. Perfectly simple recipe, Ann. I find that it improves with a little age...if it lasts that long.

(P.S. - I posted a tart recipe, but haven't yet gotten around to emailing it to you. Call me scattered. Will do soon. )

[JEP]

A perfect supper for a single gal---thanks!

[katy]

oh yum, this looks so good! i'm not sure i'd be able to stop at two!

[Ann]

dhanggit, it's nice to eat whatever you feel like sometimes, no?

Zenchef, it's a deal. You cook for me and I'll cook for you!

anna, but the REAL question is... do you eat crackers in bed while reading? :-)

Big Boys Oven, thanks! :-)

Manggy, mainly because I didn't use refried black beans and because I was too lazy to go and buy Queso Fresco and Crema Mexicana and used Monterey Jack and sour cream instead. I'm a bit of purist about Mexican food. :-)

Susan, Pico de Gallo RAWKS! :-) Looking forward to your entry!

JEP, and so easy!

Katy, sometimes I don't! :-)