Shredded Beef Tostadas

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One of my favorite Mexican dishes is the tostada.  A crispy, crunchy tortilla topped with either chicken, beef or pork, followed by some shredded cabbage or lettuce and topped with melted cheese.   So yummy!!  If you prep the shredded beef the day before, you can have a quick and delicious meal for several days!  What beef you don't use, freeze for later.  

Your shopping should include 1) Your favorite tortillas.  I like corn.  2) A can of low fat refried black beans.  3) Shredded Mexican blend cheese.  4) Your favorite salsa 5) A few avocados 6) Sour cream.  7) A small head of Napa or Savoy cabbage to slice thinly, or a bag cole slaw mix, if you'd rather. 8) Fresh cilantro, optional.  

Have your toppings ready to roll (mise en place, as they say).  Spread some refried black beans on a tortilla.  Cover that with your shredded beef (recipe below)

Top with some shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix, and then top with a generous amount of shreeded cheese.  

In a non-stick frying pan, add a little oil.  I like to use avocado oil but any mild cooking oil will do.  Get the oil hot over medium heat and then place your tortilla in the pan.  Cover the pan with a lid to help the cheese melt, and check the bottom of the tortilla occasionally to make sure it is well browned.  

Remove to a plate with a large spatula and enjoy with all of your favorite toppings!  

Mexican Shredded Beef for Tostadas or Tacos

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

2-3 lb beef chuck roast.  Trim off as much fast as you can.  

1 large onion, sliced

1-1/2 cups beer (I used Stella Artois because it's what I had on hand)

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup tomato salsa (your favorite brand)

Dash of Tabasco – to your taste

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder (or chipotle chili powder) 

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 bay leaves

For assembling, preparing and serving tostadas:

Napa or Savoy cabbage

Refried Black Beans

Shredded Mexican Blend cheese

Avocados, serve sliced or make into quacamole

Your favorite Salsa

Sour Cream

Fresh Cilantro or Parlsey, optional

Preheat ove to 300 F.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except for beef roast and onions. 

In a large dutch oven with cover, heat 2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil over medium high heat.

Add chuck roast and brown on both sides until a nice crust forms.  

Pour sauce ingredients over meat and poke meat all over with a fork. Add sliced sliced onions. 

Cover dutch oven and place in oven to bake for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until fork tender.  Cooking time will depend on the size of your chuck roast.

Remove meat from dutch oven and place on a large bowl. Cover with aluminum foil.  

Put the sauce remaining in the dutch over through a strainer. Discard onion rounds and bay leaves.  

Put the sauce in a small saucepan and reduce to about 3/4 cup, skimming any fat from the top.  

Using 2 forks, or your fingers shred beef and add reduced sauce.  Can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen for 3 months.  

Note: Before serving, I like to put some of the beef with sauce on a baking sheet and broil to crisp meat before using for tostadas or tacos.  

Southwestern Chicken and Red Rice Soup

Since it's chilly at night,  I recently made this delightful soup recipe, adapted from a good friend's version of soup she had ordered at a local cafe.  Full of piquant peppers and onions, hearty red rice, corn and chicken, this soup was one of the best I've tasted in a long while.

Red rice you ask?  It was the first time I had used it, as I normally use brown rice.  I've since learned that red rice is even more nutritious than brown rice! Red rice gets it's color from an antioxidant called anthrocyanins, which are found in dark purple and red fruits and vegetables.  Anthrocyanins are believed to have properties that reduce inflammation and can prevent the risk of cancer.  The manganese found in both red and brown rice helps to strengthen metabolism, lower blood pressure as well as lower heart attack risk.  And, there is Magnesium in it that can strengthen bones and teeth (if taken along with calcium).  Red rice has a delightful nutty flavor.

With a side of tortilla chips, either crumbled or used as a 'spoon' for dipping into your soup, it will be hard to not go back for seconds.  Believe me, I did :)   The flavors in this soup are bright and flavorful enough to serve all year long and is only moderately spicy, not hot.

Garden and yard clean up is taking up a lot of time now that the snow has finally melted.  It's wonderful to see things sprouting and growing again!

We also had a all-family gathering recently where we celebrated three family birthdays.  It was a delicious event hosted by my daughter and son-in-law.  I'd love to share with you the new 'gallery' of artwork my daughter recently installed, all of which were created by my 6-year-old grandson, Dane. It makes me smile knowing that we may have a budding artist in the family :)

Southwestern Chicken and Red Rice Soup

Printable Recipe

1-2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 large yellow onion, diced
4-5 large stalks of fresh celery, diced (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 scant tablespoon of garlic, minced
1 large or two small Poblano peppers, seeded and diced
1 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes in juice
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (or use rotisserie chicken breast), about 2 cups
1 12-oz bag frozen white corn (use all or as much as you like)
1 cup uncooked red rice (Whole Foods), brown rice can be subbed if you can't find red rice
4 cups chicken stock (I like Costco's Organic Chicken Stock or Kitchen Basic Unsalted Chicken Stock)
2 cups water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tortilla chips and chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

In a soup or stock pot, saute the onions and celery in oil over medium heat until transparent.

Add the diced peppers and saute a few minutes more. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the petite diced tomatoes, including juice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for about 45 minutes.

Add the wild rice, bring to a boil and simmer on low for about 40 minutes until the rice is tender but not soft. It should be 'al dente'.

Add the cooked chicken and corn and simmer until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper) and serve.

Note: Red rice may be slightly more difficult to find than other kinds of rice.  You should be able to find it at Whole Foods or a very well-stocked grocery store. Lundberg is a very good brand and grown in California. If you are lucky enough to find it locally, I highly recommend it. 

You can find Lundberg red rice on Amazon by clicking here.  

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