Baked Veggie and Black Bean Tostadas

Remember when I made pork cube steak tacos? Well, I still have a bunch of corn tortillas to use up. They come in a big package. I've had tostadas in the past, but I've not tried making them myself. They're much easier than I thought--especially if you bake them!

Notes: Think of tostadas as an open-faced taco. They are hard to eat, but they're delicious.

Typically tostadas are fried, but I didn't want to mess with cooking oil. I also didn't want to make them less healthy. So I baked them. As long as you oil them lightly, baking works just fine.

I think next time I would season the tortillas. Maybe just with some salt and a little chili powder.

You can use whatever kind of mushrooms you want. I just happened to have a mix of white and shitake on hand. Frankly, you can use whatever veggies you want. The tostada is versatile!

Ingredients:
1 pint sliced white mushrooms
1 pint sliced shitake mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces
1 15 oz. can black beans
2 tablespoons cumin (divided)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (divided)
2 teaspoons chili powder (divided)
Salt
Butter
Hot sauce (to taste)
6 corn tortillas
Cooking spray or olive oil
Shredded cheese for topping (optional)
Avocado (optional)

Directions: Heat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with foil. Lay out 6 tortillas (3 per sheet) and set aside.

Drain (but don't rinse) the black beans. Add them to a bowl and season with hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and hot sauce. Mash the beans into a paste and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt a small amount of butter. When the skillet is hot, add the mushrooms and brown. Season with the rest of the cumin, chili powder paprika, salt, and hot sauce. Add in the asparagus and cook until tender-crisp (about 4 minutes).

Spray the corn tortillas with cooking spray lightly on both sides (or brush both sides lightly with olive oil). Bake for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is up, take them out of the oven and flip them over. Layer each tortilla with mashed beans, cheese (if you're using cheese), and then the mushroom/asparagus mixture. Return to the oven and bake for five more minutes.

When they're done, top with mashed avocado if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Shaved Asparagus Pizza with Roasted Garlic Oil

Our plans were a bit thrown off last week when our landlords decided they would update our furnace, duct work, and water heater with only 15 hours notice. The dogs can't be in the house when workmen are here, so we had to go out of town very quickly. Home is just about the only place you can go on such short notice, so that's where we went.

While we were at home, I made a pizza crust for my dad. It looked so good, I decided I needed to make pizza when we got home.

Notes: I tried a different method for making pizza crust this time that I learned from Smitten Kitchen: pizza crust in the fridge. It worked great, with a big caveat: make sure you let it sit out on the counter for at least an hour before you deflate it and bake it. Mine didn't come to room temperature before I baked it and it did not get as crispy as I like it. Otherwise, it's a nice method. You can make the crust in the morning before you go to work, put it in the fridge, and it's ready when you get home.

Shaving asparagus is a bit difficult. It works a little easier if you lay the asparagus on the cutting board and run your peeler over it. It'll break and some pieces will be thicker than others, but no worries.

I tweaked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen only slightly.

Ingredients
1/2 bunch of asparagus spears
1 large or 2 small balls of fresh mozzarella
Roasted garlic oil (recipe follows)
1 homemade pizza crust (recipe here)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

If you're using the fridge pizza dough method, in the morning, make the pizza crust as normal. After you put the dough in the oiled bowl, instead of placing it on the counter, put it in the fridge for about 8 hours. When you're ready to bake, let the bowl sit out on the counter for an hour before you deflate it and roll it out.

When you're ready to bake, heat the over to 475. Arrange the racks in the oven with one at the top and one at the bottom.

While you're waiting for the dough to rest, shave the asparagus by laying the spears on a cutting board and "peeling" them like you would a carrot or potato. Put the shaved pieces in a bowl, season them with salt and pepper, drizzle them with olive oil and toss. Set aside.

Dice the mozzarella into small cubes. Roll out the pizza dough and brush it with roasted garlic oil. Spread the cheese out and then spread the asparagus on top. Bake for 8-10 minutes on top rack and them transfer to the bottom rack and bake 8-10 more minutes until crispy and bubbly. Slice up and enjoy!

Roasted garlic oil:
1 head garlic
1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
salt
pepper

Heat oven to 400. Slice the top off the head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the head in foil and bake directly on the oven rack for 1 hour.

Pour 1/4 cup of oil in a small skillet and heat on medium. Squeeze the roasted garlic out the skin and into the skillet. Stir, breaking up the large chunks of garlic. Heat the oil for about 10 minutes. Use as desired.

Potato Gratin with Spring Vegetables

Spring has arrived ever-so-slightly here in Philly. It's still mostly cloudy and not exactly warm, but I'll take it! Spring weather also means spring vegetables.

Notes: I think I should have sauteed the asparagus along with the leeks. My final product came out very watery probably because the veggies gave off too much liquid. Next time I make this, I might just use two or three leeks instead of asparagus. The flavor was good, but I definitely wanted it drier. I wrote the recipe with the asparagus sauteed. I got the basic gratin recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:
4 Yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch asparagus
1 leek, cleaned
2 cups whole milk
3-5 oz. of melty cheese (Gruyere, Fontel, Fontina, etc.)
3 tablespoons butter plus more for the baking dish
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Directions: Heat the oven to 350.

Slice the potatoes on a mandolin set to 1/8 or thinly slice them with a sharp knife. Set aside.

Slice your leeks into thin rings and your asparagus into small pieces. Add the butter to a skillet and heat it to medium. Saute the leeks and asparagus until they are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Be sure to drain off any excess liquid. When they're done, take them off the heat and set aside.

While the veggies are going, grate your cheese. Now you're ready to assemble!

Start by buttering the baking dish. Layer the sliced potatoes overlapping slightly like shingles. Season the layer with salt and pepper and sprinkle on 1/3 of your grated cheese. Add half your veggies. Do another layer of potatoes, 1/3 cheese, and the other half of your veggies. Season that layer with salt and pepper too. Add one more layer of potatoes (reserve the last of the cheese). Pour the milk over everything so that the top of the milk reaches the bottom of the top potato layer.

Bake it uncovered for an hour. About halfway through, push the top layer down so that it stays dry. When you have 15 minutes left, add the rest of your cheese. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!