How to make Tostadas

OK another easy on the budget – yet delightfully tasty dinner! This has been a staple in my family since my mom was a kid. My grandmother was a 6th grade school teacher at Jackson School in Phoenix Az. Back then and she got this recipe from one of her students grandmothers, a little old Mexican lady named Mrs. Leon. You won’t find this kind of food even in Mexican restaurants!

Pinto Beans:
2 cups beans* (or more) cover more then 2 inches of water and let sit over night in the pot your plan to cook them in. Soaking overnight will reduce the gas the beans give you the next day! Then drain and rinse and refill to 1 inch above the beans.

*You must sort the beans. Measure your two cups, and then take a few at a time and inspect them and put the good ones into a seperate bowl. Any broken bits you toss, some beans are shriveled up toss them too. The most important reason to sort is sometimes the packages have small rocks that have accidentally gotten in the bags and you don’t want to chomp down on those!

Add:
cut up 1 med white onion
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or for vegetarian use vegetarian bouillon)
bring to boil then let simmer for 1 hr or more till the bean smooshes softly when you pinch it between your fingers, when close to done, let some water boil off – helps to enhance the flavor

Poor remaining water (now brown) into a cup/bowl and set aside
Place beans in a larger dish and use a metal potato masher and mash up the beans … if too dry add some bean water. Go slowly you don’t want it too runny. Keep the bean water in the fridge if you have leftovers – add some of the water the next day when reheating and they are just like fresh!

Mrs. Leon’s Hot Sauce:
1 can crushes tomatoes (15 oz)
¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers (more for hotter)
1 teaspoon prepared garlic (more for fun!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon ground oregano
let sit over night – the longer it sits the hotter (and better) it gets.

Tostadas:
1 tostada shell
layer of beans
layer of lettus
layer of hot sauce
layer of grated yellow cheese (fresh grated is the only way to go – pre-grated just doesn’t taste as good)
sliced of olives (buy then whole and slice yourself to save money)
(one of my daughters also likes a layer of sour cream)
(you could also add some chopped green onions or chopped red onions, but we never have)

Great as leftovers … if there is any!