Festive Bean & Cheese Tostadas–Tasty, Easy, Gluten-Free and Easy on the Calories, Too

With the Super Bowl festivities about to begin, here’s an offer I’m hoping you can’t refuse. Along with the Buffalo wings, barbecued ribs, burgers and fatty dips and chips, how about a fuss-free, full-flavored option for those looking for more diet-friendly (or gluten-free, or vegetarian) fare?

This recipe for Bean and Cheese Tostadas is festive-looking, deliciously satisfying, and fits perfectly into a Super Bowl menu. Yet it’s low in fat, high in fiber, and unless diners pile on the toppers super high, it weighs in at 200 calories or less a serving.  It’s adapted from a recipe in my brand new Kindle book, The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook. (With 75 recipes and 50 color photos, including those shown here, the book is a great value at $3.99! It’s getting great reviews, btw.)

This version of the dish is perfect for any informal party: The ingredients can be readied well ahead and the components set out and attractively arranged so guests can custom-make their tostadas as desired. The following quantities will make 8 tostadas, but you can simply double or even triple the amounts if you’re feeding a crowd.

Tip: If you don’t have a warming tray to keep the bean spread slightly warm during standing, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and, if necessary just pop it back into the microwave oven for a minute to quickly rewarm it.

In a medium-sized saucepan or microwave-safe medium bowl,  thoroughly stir together the beans and chiles (including their liquid) until very well blended.  Either place on a burner over medium heat and stir until piping hot, or cover with a microwave cover and microwave on high power stopping and stirring every 1 1/2 minutes until piping hot.  Put the heated beans in a heat-proof serving dish and place on a warming tray. Or put them in a microwave-safe serving bowl; return it to the microwave oven and microwave for 30 seconds if the beans need reheating.

To make their tostadas, diners spread a tortilla surface with the bean mixture, then sprinkle over cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and green onions to taste. Tostadas should be eaten promptly as they lose their crispness upon standing.

At left are some of the other tempting recipes in
The 2 Day a Week Diet Cookbook. Try the tempting vegetable soup from the book (shown below right) here.
If you aren’t familiar with the 2 day a week diet, you will soon. It’s easier than most because you only diet 2 nonconsecutive days a week–the rest of the week you eat normally. The other good news–studies have shown that a higher percentage of people lose on this plan than on “regular diets.  My co-author has lost 12 pounds and I’ve lost 6! (And we’re not done yet!)