Tostadas

A quick and easy classic, tostadas are perfect for a busy weeknight and versatile enough that you throw on whatever it is you're craving! These ones happen to be vegetarian, with refried beans, crema, cheese, salsa, crunchy lettuce, and avocado. Most people go right for the pre-made ones that are more like a big tortilla chip, but when you make them yourself not only are they tastier, but they're nice and warm when you go in for the first bite. Crunchy, hearty, versatile, easy: what more could you want!?

Serves 5-7

Tostada ingredients:

-1/2 kilo of corn tortillas or about 20*

-Vegetable oil, Canola oil, or an oil with a high burning temperature (not olive oil).

Toppings:

-1 can refried beans (or make your own...we'll be coming out with our host fam's recipe for their refried beans soon :) )

-8oz of Mexican Crema (find it in a Mexican grocery store, make it yourself, or just use sour cream)

-24oz shredded queso fresco

-your favorite salsa (this one comes very highly rated and is a roasted version of the one our host fam makes)

-shredded lettuce (we use iceberg, but any one will do!)

-3 avocados

Feel free to add anything else you might want: shredded chicken, slices of roasted pork, guacamole...go loco!

*If there's a tortilleria near you, buy your tortillas there. If not, you can find them in any big grocery store, with more variety in a Mexican grocery store. If you're ambitious, you can even make them yourself! Here's a link to the New York Times' recipe. If you're really short on time and/or prefer the taste of a tostada that's more like a tortilla chip, feel free to buy them pre-made and skip the frying process.

Directions:

1. Fill a frying pan with about 1/2 inch of oil. Over medium-high heat, let the oil heat up for a minute or two. Using a metal (not plastic) spatula, work in batches of 2-3 to fry the tortillas for about 3-4 minutes in total, flipping each tortilla every 20-30 seconds and continuously moving them around in the oil. Once golden-brown, remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel or brown paper bag to allow excess oil to drain. Continue until all tortillas are fried, golden-brown tostadas.

2. Layer on your toppings and enjoy!