Open-Faced Tostadas - Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian

Nothing beats a fast dinner that is really tasty. Even better when you plan ahead and have the ingredients on hand.  One of our favorite fast meals is what we like to call "Open-Faced Tostadas" Is it really a tostada? Beats me! That is just what our family calls it!

It starts with a flour tortilla on a cookie sheet sprinkled with some shredded marble cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like) and put in a 350 degree oven for the cheese to melt and the tortilla to heat up and curl just a bit.

What happens next is up to you. My family prefers the Non-Vegetarian route. Before I heat my tortillas up, I brown one pound of ground chuck (poor chuck) in a skillet with one half of a medium yellow onion, chopped. When it is browned, I drain and add one package of taco seasoning per the directions. I have also used shredded chicken seasoned with onions and peppers in lieu of ground chuck.

The best part about the tostadas is that you can stack them up with whatever you want. The main ingredients that ours always have is the following:

Broccoli Slaw
Shredded Marble Cheddar Cheese
Grape Tomatoes
Black Beans (rinsed and heated)
Queso Fresco

I have to say that I have tried several different brands of Queso Fresco and I keep coming back to the Cacique brand. No, I am not being paid to endorse them. I just like them the best.

Once you have your meat ready, go ahead and get your tortillas in the oven with the shredded cheddar to start melting so you can begin to prepare the remaining ingredients.

On top of the melted tortilla and melted cheese I stack the meat, a generous handful of black beans, then a little more shredded cheddar, next the broccoli slaw, sliced grape tomatoes, crumbled queso fresco. Sometimes we add a dollop of salsa or sour cream. It all depends on what we have on hand.

For the Vegetarian version - I substitute the meat for sliced and diced Avocado. I never even miss the meat! And the best part of it all is that I generously sprinkle with Celtic Sea Salt.

It was a wonderful dinner, maybe a little heavy on the cheddar but truthfully a totally customizable (is that a word?) meal for each person in your household!

Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps done The Crystal Chef way

The husband and I both enjoy Thai food. We love to go to one particular restaurant in our town every other month or so. He gets the exact same thing each time (Chicken Pad Thai) and I try something different. There must be hundreds of items on the menu and I am determined to work my way through all of them, at least the ones that are not too spicy!

I am also just as determined to learn how to make some of them at home. Tonight's experiment was Beef Lettuce Wraps. Here is what you need to get started:

(1 1/2) pounds of flank steak

Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt (I like Celtic Sea Salt that I get at the local Farmer's Market)

(1) head of Bibb lettuce

(2) carrots

(2) jalpenos

(1) red onion

(2) limes

(2) tablespoons of Thai peanut sauce

(4) tablespoons of fish sauce

Dash of soy 

Sliver of real butter

Fresh cilantro

I am not truly a chef so I like to do my vegetable prep work first so that I can focus when cooking my steak. I have not cooked a lot of steak in my time so focus is important for me. I did go ahead and take my steak out of the fridge while prepping my veggies.

Peel the carrots and shred them. Set aside to use for stuffing in your wrap.

Slice your red onion thinly and set aside for use inside the wrap.

Slice your jalapeno thinly and set aside. At this point, right or wrong? I don't know but I did remove as much of the seeds as I could because I did not want all of the heat from the jalapenos. I wanted the tasty flavor. Be careful cutting your jalapenos and don't rub your eyes! It will hurt! 

Heat a grill pan over high heat for at least 5 minutes. Season your flank steak with the salt and pepper. Depending on the thickness of your steak (REMEMBER, I am not a steak expert!!) cook for about 4 minutes per side until it is firm but yielding to the touch.  The flank steak that I had tonight was rather thick and I had to cook it longer than four minutes. Mine actually took 10 minutes per side. for the thinner side. The thicker side, because I was afraid to over-cook it, I finished it in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. 

While your steak is cooking it is time to make your sauce. In a sauce pan combine the following:

The juice of (2) limes, the (2) tablespoons of peanut sauce and the (4) tablespoons of fish sauce. Stir over low heat. Add a dash of soy sauce and a sliver of butter. Don't forget to keep an eye on your steak.

When your steak is done, let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Take your Bibb lettuce leaves (rinsed) and layer on your shredded carrots, onion, jalapeno, steak, cilantro and sauce or whatever combination pleases you. Don't forget to drizzle on your sauce and even squeeze on some extra lime juice.

It must have turned out okay because the whole family at every single bite of it! And the best part of all of this is that it was good for them and they don't even know it! They never read this blog anyway, so I think it is safe to put that here!