Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Seven, Nine, Ten... Who's Counting?



Yesterday I was searching the net looking for dinner ideas when I came across Kalyn's Kitchen - Seven Layer Tostadas. First thing I read was, "If you're a fan of Seven Layer Dip,"... Yes, yes I am.

Because this isn't the healthiest of dinner choices I've made some changes. First, my version is a ten layer for J and T and a nine layer for me. I chose to have a small amount of cheese on mine, so I omitted the meat on mine.

Ten Layer Tostada

The layers
Layer 1: Corn tortilla - I fried in grape seed oil.
Layer 2: Black beans - I took a can of low sodium black beans and mashed them with a potato masher and added water.
Layer 3: Guacamole
Layer 4: Sour Cream/Plain yogurt seasoned with my healthy version taco seasoning.
Layer 5: Ground beef - cooked and seasoned with the healthy taco seasoning.
Layer 6: Shredded cheese
Layer 7: Diced tomatoes
Layer 8: Shredded lettuce
Layer 9: Diced onions
Layer 10: Chopped black olives


Nine Layer on the left and Ten layer to your right.










To fry the corn tortilla, I added about a cup of grape seed oil to a medium size pot. After a minute, I tested the oil with a splash of water and I was ready to go. I placed one tortilla at a time into the oil and held it down with tongs.























Cook the tortilla for about five minutes, turning it over halfway through. Tortillas are done once they are golden brown. Place on a paper towel lined plate.



















Like I said above for the beans, I just took a can of low sodium black beans and mashed them with a potato masher. I added about a quarter cup of water. 

For the beef, I cooked it with my taco seasoning (recipe below) and salt to taste. 

I'm going to toot my horn and admit that I make one awesome guacamole. But this time, I used "Wholly Guacamole". I had two avocado in my hand at 2.99 a pop when I came across this. If it was any other packaged guac I would have passed. Wholly is all natural with no added preservatives. Plus, I love a sale.

















For the fourth layer, I took half a cup of low fat sour cream and half a cup of plain yogurt. I mixed it with my taco seasoning and salt to taste.

For the rest of the layers, all you need is the ingredients (onion, lettuce, tomato, olives and cheese), a cutting board, a knife, and a grater for the cheese.





































Enjoy!

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Taco Seasoning
2 tbsp Chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour (optional)
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Ground Oregano
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika

Store in a air tight container. 
I don't add salt to this because I like to be able to control the salt I use when I cook.