In Our Kitchen: Tostada Nachos

This dish has a long history for Gary and me. In high school, we would go on dates to South Bend and often ate at TGI Friday's. Our favorite thing on the menu was the tostada nachos: Crispy tortillas loaded with refried beans, seasoned ground beef and melted cheese. Served with salsa, sour cream, house-made guacamole and jalapeños. But these just aren't a pile of chips with toppings piled on--these are individual chips each with its own toppings. For several years, these were my favorite dish in general.

Eventually we figured out the key to recreating these at home and they became a staple in our meal rotation. They were quick, easy, and delicious. We ate them once a week in law school, usually made with tons of cheese and ground beef. In the past year or so, we've lightened this dish up and it's still a staple in our rotation, but we can eat it with less guilt! We're also including Gary's guacamole method and our favorite salsa recipe!

Tostada Nachos, serves 2 (with leftover filling)

1 can refried black beans
1lb lean ground turkey
1/4 cup of your favorite taco seasoning (lately we're using Wildtree)
4 small corn tortillas
1/2 to 2/3 cup shredded cheese (highly recommend buying a block and shredding yourself)

optional toppings:
pickled jalapenos
onion-cilantro-jalapeno-lime salsa (recipe below)
roasted salsa (recipe below)
guacamole (recipe below)
0% fat Greek yogurt as yummy and low-cal substitute for sour cream

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 4 corn tortillas on baking pan and bake in oven 5-7 minutes. Flip tortillas and bake another 5-7 minutes or until browned and crispy. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside.

Brown ground turkey in skillet. Add taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water. Heat on low heat until water is absorbed. Meanwhile, heat refried beans in small saucepan. When the beans are heated through and the turkey is fully cooked and seasoned, combine half of the beans and half of the turkey in a small bowl.

Preheat your oven's broiler to high. Spread equal portions of the turkey/bean mixture onto the tortillas (now crispy tostadas). You will likely have a little of this mix leftover. Top with shredded cheese. If choosing to add pickled jalapenos, add them at this point, too.

Place assembled tostadas in oven under the broiler. Keep a close eye and remove from oven when cheese is completely melted. Transfer tostadas to cutting board and cut in half. Top with favorite toppings and enjoy! Lately, we've decided these really don't even need cheese. Next time, we're going to leave them off, which means we can skip the broiler step.

Now, let's talk toppings!

Guacamole
2-4 ripe avocados
fresh cilantro
minced garlic
red onion
fresh jalapeno
lime juice
salt & pepper

This is more of a method rather than a hard-and-fast recipe. Your individual tastes should direct how you season your guac.

Slice avocados in half and remove the pit. The best way to do remove the pit is with a large knife--very carefully sink the knife's blade into the pit. Turn the avocado and pull away from the knife/pit. To remove the pit from the knife, pinch the blade and pit between your fingers to pop it off. Spoon the avocado flesh into a bowl. Lightly mash.

Dice desired amount of red onion by pre-slicing half an onion as shown in picture. Then dice into small chunks by cutting perpendicular to the slices you just made.

Chop desired amount of cilantro and jalapeno pepper. Be sure to remove the innards of the jalapenos.

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl, including desired amount of minced garlic. Blend ingredients and add lime juice to taste. Taste the guac and season as needed with salt & pepper. Gary will often add some juice from the roasted salsa described below.

Fire Roasted Salsa adapted from Rick Bayless

1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2-3 whole cloves of garlic
1 Anaheim pepper (for mild to medium) OR 1 jalapeno (medium to hot)
diced onion (red or white)
salt & pepper
lime juice
cilantro

Heat cast iron skillet over high heat. Add unpeeled garlic cloves and pepper. Dry roast the garlic and pepper until the outside is charred blackened. Keep an eye on these and use your sense of smell--usually when you start smelling pepper or garlic, they need to be moved around/flipped.

Once roasted, let sit to cool down. Cut the top off the pepper and remove the seeds. For mild salsa, also de-vein the pepper. Peel the garlic cloves. Rough chop both.

Add can of tomatoes (do not drain), garlic, and pepper to bowl of food processor. Pinch off cilantro leaves from bunch and add to processor. Add salt & pepper. Pulse ingredients until blended to desired consistency; it won't take long! Transfer to bowl. Add desired amount of diced onion. Taste the salsa and adjust the seasoning level by adding a touch of lime and additional salt and pepper.

Onion-cilantro-jalapeno-lime salsa
2 TB diced red onion
1 jalapeno, cut into rings
1 TB chopped cilantro
2 tsp lime juice (or less)
pinch of salt