Meatless Monday - Black Bean Tostada

So, I was reading a food blog a few days back and came across this whole website dedicated to meatless Monday meals. I feel like I am living under a rock because I am sure most of you have heard of this concept but I had not. The idea is to just take out one of your meat meals a week for health reasons and animal rights reasons. I have stated before that I am a meat girl, married to a meat man and we have meat babies. The idea of no meat sort of throws everyone off around here! I could be a vegetarian if it were not for bacon. I can't live without it. But, I love most veggies....the rest of my family, not so much! So, this past week I was throwing together some creamy chicken taquitos and had a few corn tortillas left. I hate it when that happens, it is like the nasty lasties (9/29/10 for reference if you have not made that chicken!) What do you do with 3 tortillas? Well, I decided to fry those babies up and make tostada's, and they were delicious! This is the perfect quick fix meal if you are in a meatless Monday mood. Keep in mind, I am the ONLY ONE who ate these in my house since there was not meat on them but you could easily add shredded chicken or taco meat. I took some pictures but realized that my usb cord was left out of the box so pictures will be posted soon, cross my heart!!

Black Bean Tostada's
2 corn tortilla's per person
1/4 cup veggie oil

In a small saute pan that is at least as big a round as the tortilla, warm up your oil to 350 degrees on medium heat. You can test the oil to see if it is ready by dipping the edge of the tortilla in the oil. When you dip it in the oil and it begins to sizzle and bubble you can drop that baby in the oil. I use a flat spatula and lightly press down on the tortilla as it is cooking to help keep it flat. Lightly fry on one side for around 1-2 minutes minutes until brown then flip it over and do the same. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all of your tortilla's are cooked.

Toppings:
1-2 cup of shredded cheddar jack or pepper jack cheese
1 cup of cooked black beans (9/14/10 - Frijoles Negros posting will help!)
Shredded lettuce
sliced avocado
Sour cream
Salsa
Sliced Jalapenos
Fresh cilantro
Black Olives

On a foil lined cookie sheet, spread out your cooked tortillas. Sprinkle each with around 3 Tbsp of cheese and broil on high for about 30 seconds until the cheese is bubbly.
Remove from the oven and place on serving plates. Top with beans and whatever toppings you have on hand. Eat quickly so that your tostada doesn't get all soggy and gross.

Enjoy Y'all!