Ahhh, what fond memories I have of Cinco de Mayo celebrations of days gone by…When I didn’t have a care in the world and could sit for hours eating, drinking and chatting with friends until the wee hours of the morning. These days, my outings have to be a little more planned and organized because I seem to be involved in so many projects that require so much of my time. But, a girl’s still gotta eat! So, we still celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but it is a much more toned down version from my partying days…something a little more family friendly but still fun, delicious, filling and satisfying.
Since it is Cinco de Mayo today, we decided to make tostadas using flour tortillas. We added ground meat and shredded cheese, but you can use just about anything you want. They key here is that I use my own Taco Seasoning, not that packaged stuff with all of that salt and preservatives. I make it in small batches and keep it in a small jar in the cupboard. We add it to our ground beef or strip steak, but it is just as good with poultry and fish…
This meal comes together quickly, so if you have a hungry crew, don’t worry, you will have dinner on the table in minutes…You can have these for appetizers or serve them as a main dish. They are hearty and filling.
Stay tuned for our next blog entry to see what we had for dessert !
***An original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Homemade Taco Seasoning
4 Tablespoons dark chili powder
3 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons onion powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon lemon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon corn starch
Mix all of the ingredients together and sift well, then add to a small jar.
Homemade Pico de Gallo Salsa
1/2 large vidalia onion (diced and rinsed under cold water)
4 large roma tomatoes (seeded and diced)
1/2 lime (juice and zest)
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
S&P to taste
Chop all of the ingredients and add to a small bowl. Zest half a lime, then cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice of the half that has been zested. Pour this over the chopped ingredients and add in the zest. Add salt and pepper to taste and put into the refrigerator until needed.
Meat & Cheese Tostadas (makes 4-6″ tortillas)
1# ground beef
2 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
8 flour tortillas (6″) preferrably Mission brand
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice
olive oil
Heat your pan on medium high heat then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then add the ground beef. Add 2 tablespoons of your homemade taco seasoning plus 1 tablepoon of water and cook the meat all the way through until the water has evaporated and the spice mixture is incorporated, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper once it is cooked then set aside to cool. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil to heat in a 6″ skillet and add 1 of your flour tortillas, then add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooked ground meat. Cover this with another flour tortilla and swirl gently around the pan until the bottom tortilla is nice and toasty. At this point, flip the tortilla with a spatula to toast the other side. You may need to add a little more oil to the pan, so just lift one side of the tortilla and add the oil to the pan, then lay it down again to continue toasting. These will cook quickly, so have a large plate waiting to receive your delicious tostada, and cut into 4 or 8 pieces using a pizza wheel. Top with sour cream and homemade pico del gallo sauce and enjoy!
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