Saying I love Mexican food is an understatement.
Tequila heavy margaritas, bottomless chips and salsa, spinach queso dip, spicy pork tamales, puffy chicken tacos; the list goes on and on. Luckily a local KC restaurant serves every one of these dishes wonderfully. Maybe a little too well, but I can’t stop craving them for the past 20 years that we have been adventuring there.
It all started with Taco Salads that my mother use to make weekly. Such a simple, yet so satisfying fiesta salad. Every time I make it, it takes me back. The cumin and fiery chili powder infused ground beef is perfectly ground up with the help of an immersion blender. I guarantee this little device makes the beef a million times better; insuring every bite is of even proportion and is seasoned to a ‘T’. The salad starts with a bed of salty, crisp and crushed tortilla chips. Then throw that succulent taco meat on top and garnish away! If we were lucky, Velveeta Queso would make an appearance. Something that I always graciously volunteered to help make; making it the perfect excuse to stuff my face with some cheese cubes without anyone knowing. Something about that yellow cheese is delightful. Its velvety, yellowilicious (is that even a word?!) and melts in your mouth. The Queso would pull (or drown) my entire salad together; creating a perfect harmony of crisp iceberg lettuce, spicy ground beef, fresh tomatoes, ever so creamy Queso. And never failed that my salad grew to the size of Texas….proving my eyes were (and still are…) bigger than my stomach. Sorry I am not sorry. It was so freakin delicious. No wonder I still get all giddy when I remember to add this little gem to my weekly menu!
We all know my love for pork and I love even more creating new Mexican dishes with smoked pork. The smokiness from the tender pork accents the zesty refried black beans, the lime accented corn tortilla tostadas, and the creamy, fresh avocado cilantro crème. My recent love (remember how I always find new weekly favorites?) is refried black beans. I adore black beans in every form. So, how in world have I not found these? Consider one of my favorite past times is to peruse every aisle at the grocery store for new items to feed my fascinations. So when my brother told me about these at a football get together, I knew they would be my new buddy in the kitchen. They add creaminess with all the crunchiness going on. These babies are flavor bombs.
Tostadas are the perfect weeknight meal as they are a quick meal to throw together, or an ideal dinner to entertain friends with for a relaxing weekend dinner. Not matter what night you decide to make them, a margarita is the perfect topper. Now, I am not a shootin tequila straight kinda girl, but I sure do love a tequila blanco margarita, or a couple. But, no judgment here. I mean, I am just ensuring I get my favorite Mexican experience fulfilled!
30 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Yields 4
Save RecipeIngredients
- 4 corn tostadas
- 1 can refried black beans
- 2 cups smoked pork, chopped
- 1 (8 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Handful cilantro, chopped
- 1 c tomatilo salsa
- Avocado & Cilantro Lime Cream
- 1/2 c non-fat, plain greek yogurt
- 1 whole avocado, chopped
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- Salt, to taste
- 1 T cilantro, chopped
- Cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat skillet with olive oil spray. Add chopped red onions and pineapple. Saute until red onions are soft. Add pork, seasonings and cilantro.
- Meanwhile, heat refried black beans in small sauce pan.
- In a blender, combine ingredients for cream. Puree and taste for seasoning.
- To assemble: Divide black beans among 4 corn tostadas. Then add the salsa and top with pork, dividing salsa and pork among all tostadas. Finishing with a bit of avocado cream. (You will have leftovers of this sauce, but I trust you will find many other uses for it!)
- Garnish with more cilantro, if desired.
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