meat | dmarie-dining

Tostadas remind me of an open faced taco or a burrito. I know burritos are not crunchy like a taco but the ingredients I put inside of my burritos are similar to what I put on top of my Tostadas. Not long ago at one of our office celebrations I discovered packaged tostada shells. A co-worker brought in the tostada shells with pulled pork ( a recipe I will try later). I was so excited to see the corn tostada shells I had to find out where she bought them. Unfortunately, she had purchased them at a local store near her house which happens to be far from where I live. Needless to say, I would not be traveling over the state line just for tostada shells.

Of course I started searching for packaged tostada shells in every grocery store I visited. I finally hit pay dirt at a neighborhood grocery store where I shop on occasion for certain types of foods.

Like I said earlier, Tostadas remind me of an open-faced taco. The difference is that I top the Tostadas with brown rice and beans. The rest of the toppings are pretty much the same as my tacos. Check out the Latin section of your local grocery store and you may find the packaged tostada shells. These babies are a big time saver but if you like making your own tostada shells go for it!

This recipe turned out to be a winner with my friends and family because everyone could build their own Tostada from the “fixins bar” I set up. Shredded chicken, beef, beans, rice, tomatoes, fresh avocado, my homemade Guacamole and more made dinner both fun and good to eat.

Tostadas

Ingredients:

4 – 6 tostada shells

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1 ½ cup queso cheese shredded

1 4 oz can green chiles

1 4 oz can chopped jalapenos

1 pkg taco seasonings

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the meat in a medium-sized frying pan over medium high heat. Drain off fat then reduce the heat to medium low. Sprinkle in taco seasoning, green chiles, jalapenos and water. Stir to blend everything together then add browned meat.

Lay out tostada shells on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each shell with a little cheese then layer rice, meat mixture, tomatoes and top with more cheese. Place in oven for 3 – 5 minutes until cheese melts. Remove from oven. Top with sour cream, fresh avocado slices or guacamole.

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I have to say on the day I prepared this recipe I was really stopped up and couldn’t enjoy the normal aromas surrounding me when I cook. But, the Roasted Pork Loin smell came through loud and clear. The pork smelled heavenly with the onions and jalapeno peppers I added to the dish. All of a sudden I felt my mouth watering and I realized it was because of the delicious smell coming from the oven. It is nice when good food evokes that kind of reaction. The smell is great, your mouth waters and you just cannot wait to eat!

Not everyone enjoys pork but if you are willing to serve it to family and friends this will be a crowd pleaser. Pork loin is a tender piece of meat but like with any meat it can dry out if you are not careful. I think surrounding the pork loin with lots of onions and peppers along with a little water then wrapping it up tight helps to lock in the juices and the flavors.

Roasted Pork Loin is excellent as a sandwich or paired with fried apples and mashed potatoes. No matter what you decide to make as a side dish the Roasted Pork Loin with be the star on your table. “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up”.

Roasted Pork Loin

Ingredients:
1 – 2 pork loins
1 large onion sliced
1 jalapeno pepper sliced
1 cup of water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp ground ginger
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season pork loins with all seasonings and place in a roasting pan. Cover with onions and jalapeno peppers. Pour water into the pan and wrap tightly with foil. Bake for 1 ½ hours until cooked and tender. Slice for a meal or sandwiches.

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