Mini Tostadas

A great alternative to the big tostada salads - like my Big Soy Tostadas or my Big Bean Tostadas - are mini tostadas.  I like to buy several kinds of toppings, and we all just build our own.  At this point, I offer classic Mexican toppings, but I may branch out into adventurous kinds.  When I do, I'll let you know.  You can buy these flat, small shells near the traditional tortillas in most stores or in Mexican markets. This makes an easy and fun lunch or dinner for adults and kids alike.

Mini Tostadas

Ingredients:

Small, flat, crunchy tostada shells
Vegetarian refried beans
Chopped Romaine lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced black olives
Hot sauce

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place several tostada shells on a baking sheet and warm them up in the oven for ten minutes.  Meanwhile, heat the beans in a pot over medium heat until warm.  Remove shells from oven, and top them with the beans and the other toppings.  Measurements are to your personal liking.  Just pick up and crunch away!  Feeds five hungry vegans in our home.

Big Soy Tostadas

Oh, I love easy meals; I love Mexican food; I love a lot of food; and, I love comfort food, so this meal is always a hit with me. What I like about build-it-your-own-way dishes is that everyone ends up eating exactly what they want. This is a very basic recipe, one that you can build on or take away according to your tastes. Have fun with this, and I hope you enjoy it!

Big Soy Tostadas

Ingredients:

5 Del Oro Tostada Crowns (each box has four crowns)
1 Tbs. canola oil
2 pkgs. Smart Ground, Mexican Style (you can add beans or not)
Our toppings:
Romaine lettuce
Sliced black olives
Finely grated vegan cheese - we used Vegan Gourmet, Cheddar Style
Toffuti Better than Sour Cream
Your favorite salsa - we used Herdez medium
Diced tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat the tostada crowns according to package directions. In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Add the Smart Ground and cook until heated through and slightly browned, about five minutes. When the crowns come out of the oven, scoop some of the Smart Ground onto its bottom and then add the rest of the ingredients. Chew, swallow, smile. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Big Bean Tostadas

Yum! I love Mexican food, so we have some form of it about once a week in our home. This is a really easy and tasty dish to make. I like to put the various toppings in a sectioned party tray, so people can tailor their tostadas to their tastes. The only things I put in the shells for everyone are the beans and lettuce. This is always a great success in our home.

Big Bean Tostadas

Ingredients:

5 big pre-made tostada shells - We use Del Oro Tostada Crowns (4 in a box, 2 boxes)
2 16oz. cans or 1 30oz. can vegetarian refried beans
5 packed cups red leaf lettuce, sliced thin
1 container of Tofutti Better than Sour Cream
1 jar of your favorite salsa - we use Herdez
Your favorite vegan cheese - we finely grate 1 cup of Vegan Gourmet, cheddar style
3 avocados, sliced
1 can of black olives, sliced in thirds
3 tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Warm the tostada shells in the oven for three minutes. Heat the refried beans over medium heat until warmed through, about five minutes. Stir occasionally. Divide the beans between the shells by how much a person will eat. In our family, that may not be equal since we have very little people, medium people and big people. Divide the lettuce the same way. Separate the toppings into a divided party tray, and supply spoons and forks for getting the toppings out. Mound your shell until it looks good enough to eat. Then eat it! (You will have a few extra shells leftover for another meal.) Feeds five hungry vegans.