The minute I wrote the title for this post I thought, "But wait...is it a tostada or a chalupa? What's the difference?" So, of course, I googled it. Turns out, in Mexican cuisine, a chalupa is a layer of masa dough that's deep-fried to become a shallow corn cup while a tostada is what's pictured here--a flat corn tortilla used as the base for other foods. HA! I love it when I'm right!
Now that that's settled...
You know those meals that you eat over and over again because they're simple and fast and you don't have to use a recipe to crank them out? Well, tostadas are that meal for me. I make them all the time because they're filling, tasty and an easy way to use up all the contents in my veggie bin before they go bad. I always have a batch of corn tortillas in my fridge (they're usually 99 cents for 20 tortillas), and I bake them for about 10 minutes until crisp. There's really no need to fry them, although you could if you really wanted to.
For this go-round, I made a quick bean dip in my food processor using black beans, jalapeno, cilantro, fresh garlic, cumin, olive oil and salt and pepper. You could just as easily use cannellini or red beans and switch up the spices to accommodate different toppings. Then I sliced up some bananas, topped with Monterey Jack cheese and broiled until the cheese melted.
But like I said, this wasn't my first trip to the chalupa rodeo. Here are some other combos that light my fire:
sauteed zucchini + red bell pepper + onions + cheddar + black beans + cumin
grilled chicken + goat cheese + fresh cilantro
white bean dip (red onion + garlic + jalapeno + olive oil) + sauteed onions and peppers
grilled shrimp + monterey jack + fresh avocado slices
mango + goat cheese + fresh jalapeno (seeded and deveined)
Sounds good, right? Can you think of another combo I should try?
I love the addition of banana, a totally sweet, off-beat surprise. Genius. My go-to don't-have-to-think-about-it meal is some sort of white beans seasoned with whatever's in the fridge - usually that's leftover sausage, fresh spinach, garlic and onions. Works every time...
ReplyDeleteI would never have put black beans & bananas together, but I am definitely going to give it a try!! I love your other veggie combos --- and of course it would be amazing with Angela's salad - it's delish!
ReplyDeleteOOO this looks so good! Is it Cuban inspired? Either way, I would so love to have some of these. I think my husband would love them too... I think they would be great served alongside a fish also!
ReplyDeletegreat combos, some I have never tried.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great combo. I never knew the difference between tostadas and chulpas either.
ReplyDeleteBut it sounds delicious.
Yum, yum, yum!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I'm salivating more over the food or the photos! Jenn, when will you go on the Food Network? I want to start a campaign. You would beat Rachael Ray in a heartbeat. You are awesome! Now, got anything for 8 month olds that I can mash up?
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is SO up my alley! Thank you for stopping by today :) Lovely to hear from you. Yes, the weather is crazy beautiful here right now!! I bet your parents would love to have you XO, Kelly
ReplyDeleteI love baked tortillas, but I've never tried the banana and cheese combination, something to definitely try though! Thanks for posting those combos, am noting them down and putting them up on my fridge :)
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