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del.icio.usA lighter take on tostadas
Keep Mexican food on your menu with these slimmed-down bean and beef tostadas.
When Don't Say Diet reader Jonathan Claxton saw my lighter version of quesadillas, he wrote to ask if I had any more Mexican recipes I'd be willing to share.
"I am currently on Weight Watchers, and I LOVE Mexican food -- probably why I got to where I needed Weight Watchers," he wrote, adding a smiley face onto his e-mail.
He gave my quesadilla recipe to his online support group and wondered if I could come up with any other similar slimmed-down recipes.
"There are so many folks like me that can't live without good Mexican food!" he wrote. "Thanks for any help you could send to a fellow weight loser."
No problem, Jonathan. Here's a recipe I came up with for tostadas. It's one of the healthier meals I've created to keep Mexican food on my own menu.
I lighten up this dish by choosing reduced-fat cheese and the leanest ground beef I can find. I also reduce the amount of beef by using extra beans. Instead of frying flour tortillas, I bake corn tortillas in the oven until they're crispy.
Two typical fast-food tostadas have 666 calories and 34 fat grams, according to NutritionData.com. But my slimmer tostadas keep the flavor while cutting the calories by 54 percent and throwing out 80 percent of the fat.
You can have two of my tostadas for 306 calories and 6.8 grams of fat. As a bonus, a serving of my tostadas gives you 11 grams of fiber. All that fiber helps keep you feeling full.
We'll slim it down for you
Do you have a favorite food or popular recipe that you'd like to see made more healthful? Send your ideas and recipes, along with a daytime phone number, to me at kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com or:
Don't Say Diet
c/o The Wichita Eagle
P.O. Box 820
Wichita, KS 67201
KATHY'S TOSTADAS
2 (15-oz.) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½lb. 96 percent lean ground beef
½cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
½teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Nonstick cooking spray
½cup sharp cheddar cheese made with 2 percent milk, finely shredded
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the beans into a pie plate or another shallow baking dish. Using a stick blender or a fork, mash the beans.
In a large skillet, cook the beef and onion until meat is browned; drain off the grease and return the mixture to the skillet. Add cumin, chili powder, pepper, enchilada sauce and mashed beans. Stir the mixture together until it's heated through.
Place the tortillas on baking sheets and lightly coat each tortilla with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes, or until each tortilla is slightly browned and crispy. Remove the tortillas from the oven and spread the heated bean and beef mixture evenly over each tortilla.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bean and beef mixture. Return the tortillas to the oven and bake for about 2 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Remove tortillas from the oven and sprinkle the lettuce and tomatoes evenly over each tortilla. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving (2 tostadas): 306 calories, 29 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium, 15 protein grams, 6.8 fat grams, 49 carb grams, 11 grams of fiber.
The Wichita Eagle
Reach Kathy Manweiler at 316-268-6266 or kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com. For more Don't Say Diet recipes, visit the Alive & Well Web site at www.wichitaaliveandwell
