Hey guys! I have a delicious recipe for you today – TOSTADAS!
Let’s talk about tostadas. They are amazing. It is basically an open faced hard shell taco.
What’s the best part of hardshell tacos? The crunch. You can’t argue that.
What’s the draw back to hardshell tacos? The fact that the entire taco can crack and then you have a crumbling mess in your hands, it’s all over your face and your dinner date is just shamefully shaking their head at you.
Tostadas to the rescue!
In all seriousness, these are two great spreads for your next tostadas dinner and I have some of my kitchen essential you can shop. Tell me what you think in the comments!
INGREDIENTS + DIRECTIONS
Tostadas
Feta or cotija cheese
Spanish rice – i like to serve this as a side, super easy on the stovetop
AVOCADO SPREAD
2 avocados
1 can of chickpeas
2 large cloves of garlic
20 sprigs of cilantro
Juice 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
2 Tablespoon of olive oil
optional to add jalapeño if you like an extra kick!
This is possibly the easiest step. Toss everything, at once, into a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. If yours is too thick add water by the tablespoon to find your preferred consistency. This keeps really well in the fridge for a few days. We often eat left overs with chips the next day or on other dishes like breakfast burritos and southwest tortilla soup.
SWEET POTATO SPREAD
1 c white onion diced
3 cloves of garlic
3 c sweet potato diced
2 c diced tomatoes
2 c salsa
1 jalapeño
6 oz cream cheese
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
I took this recipe from an enchilada recipe that I love (thanks Libby!). I added some jalapeño to kick it up a notch, lowered the cream cheese and added an extra simmer to let it thicken up into a better spread.
Start by sautéing the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes on medium heat. Add the sweet potato, tomatoes, salsa and jalapeño and bring it to a boil. Then lower it to a simmer and cover for about 40 minutes. Mash everything until smooth (relatively) and then add cream cheese and black beans. Stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
PICO DE GALLO
4 medium tomatoes diced
1 small red onion diced
1 cucumber diced (optional, but highly recommend)
15 sprigs of cilantro chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt to taste
Dice everything up and toss it together. This gets better with time. Pop it in the refrigerator and let the flavors mingle before eating.
SHOP MY KITCHEN ESSENTIALS
Here are some of my favorite kitchen items and exactly what I used to set-up my pictures. Thank goodness for Crate and Barrel! I do earn a commission on some of these links, but there is no charge to you. Your support is appreciated!
Building a thriving personal training business is no small feat, and for many trainers, the fear of not attracting enough clients is all too real. Consistently bringing in new clients while keeping current ones loyal is the key to growing your fitness business and...
The off-season is a crucial time for golfers to focus on maintaining and even improving their fitness levels. Staying in shape during this period not only helps prevent injury when the season resumes but also gives you a competitive edge. We are going to walk through...
Does anyone know why it is so easy for us to identify the reasons NOT to do something? If you asked someone what are some reasons working out is hard for you, they could list 10 reasons in 30 seconds. “I work long hours, I have kids, gym memberships are expensive,...
Click to sign-up for weekly information and offers.
DISCLOSURE
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This Fall egg bake recipe is absolutely delicious and perfect for a weekend brunch at home. And dare I say it … simple. There is plenty of room for you to customize it to your flavor preferences. For example, I like spicy so I topped mine with sriracha and jalapeños.
I eat a heavily plant based diet. In no way would I consider myself a vegan or even a vegetarian, but I am an odd mix of them. Plus a pescatarian. I love fish & seafood. However, living in the midwest means good fish that hasn’t travel a significant distance is impossible to find. So I limit my consumption.
For my house we went with a plant based sausage. Morning Star Breakfast Patties are the way to go. I haven’t tried a lot of plant based options over the years and this one is my personal favorite. Huge bonus is that Mike, who is mister meat and potatoes, love them too.
For this weekend brunch egg bake I threw together spinach, red pepper, onion, garlic and potatoes from my garden. Salt and pepper to taste and boom you have an egg bake.
Now, most people like to incorporate milk and/or cheese into their egg bakes for a wonderful creamy texture. And that is a great idea. I repeat a great idea. My recommendation would be to put in 1/4 – 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 c to 1 c of cheese.
Weekend Brunch Egg Bake
I know my egg bake looks even more delicious because I made it in a cast iron pan, but let’s be very honest … you don’t need one. I also make these egg bakes in glass pyrex dishes. USE whatever you have on hand or check out what I used in the equipment section.
This recipe can scale easily. Cut in half to serve for one or double to serve for a larger group. I like to factor 2-3 eggs per person depending on who’s eating.
You can also sauté everything ahead of time and store to use later. I know MANY egg bake recipes say they can be combined and then sit in the refrigerator over night. I can’t see why that wouldn’t work here. However, I have never tried that. So someone please try it and let me know how it goes 😜.
Chop up the potatoes into cubes. Choose a size that will be easy to eat with a little bit of eggs and other veggies. Rough chop the spinach & dice up the red pepper.
Dice up the onion and garlic and start to sauté it over medium heat.
Add in the red peppers and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes start to brown and are soft. Approximately 15 minutes.
While the veggies are on the stove beat your eggs and optional cheese and milk together.
Place the frozen sausage patties into the pan of your choice, just make sure you oiled/greased it, then throw on top the veggies and pour the egg mix over the top.
Pop it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Optional to start with a piece of tin foil over the top to prevent too much browning and remove it for the last 5-10 minutes.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS WEEKEND BRUNCH EGG BAKE
I can’t stress the oil your pan section enough. If you decide to buy a cast iron skillet make sure you educate yourself on “seasoning” your skillet or prepare yourself for a post egg bake MESS. I have made the mistake, it isn’t fun. And be aware that metal brushes and abrasive cleaners are a no go for the cast iron.
Try incorporating different flavors with seasonings and cheeses. I like to make this with a Mexican twist and put taco seasoning on the potatoes. Then I serve it topped with salsa or taco sauce and avocado. Game changer. Guaranteed.
Keep an eye on your egg bake. Every oven is different. Yours bake time may vary. You also want to be able to keep an eye on the top of the egg bake and cover it with tin foil if it looks like it is getting over done but the eggs aren’t done. This is a problem when you make a full serving in a smaller dish – so the bake is deep.
EQUIPMENT
Basic kitchen equipment is all you need In fact I would bet you have everything you need in your kitchen right now. But if you want to new tools or just curious what I use, take a look. These are affiliate links, which means I make a commission when you purchase, but it does not impact the price you pay 😃.
My dear friend, Christine ,turned me into a knife snob. She has this line of knives and after one night of cooking with her 5 years ago I was never able to look back. I highly recommend everyone to have one exceptional knife in their house. And more importantly to take care of it.
My grandmother had a few cast iron skillets and I was enamored by them. It felt like the right way you were suppose to cook. I have since learned that I am likely not a qualified cast iron skillet cook and that I wish my grandmother was still around to drop some knowledge on me. HOWEVER, egg bakes and pull apart bread are two recipes that I make in the skillet.
I have never had a better frying pan. My dad turned me on to the all-clad non-stick line when he asked for one for Christmas. They are more expensive, but you will never have a better experience. From the ease of cleaning to the even cooking temperature, this pan is worth every penny.
I also like a cute kitchen. I know that sounds ridiculous, but there is something about having things neat, organized and cute that make me want to cook. Which is why I love the oil container my friend gave me. It was made by an artist in the PNW. Not pictured is a flowered vase that was my grandmothers. The same OG I was talking about earlier. I keep all of my garlic in it.
Have fun with your kitchen set-up and I swear cooking becomes more fun. I like to mix new items with meaningful and practical to make me feel comfortable and creative in the kitchen.
Have you ever been browsing around Pinterest and saw a handy graphic or chart guiding you on your next project? Of course you have. Otherwise you have never been on Pinterest before. I have done PLENTY of these charts with wild success. However, I have been curious about the smoothie charts that suggest you can wildly pick any combination of ingredients and make a smoothie that tastes good.
I can’t help but be cynical. If that was true about cooking, then why have I made so many unpleasant dishes by experimenting with the contents of my refrigerator?
Now that you know I am skeptical. Let me tell you want I did.
With a stroke of genius I rounded up two trust taste testers, Annie & Jane, to come on this journey with me. I was not feeling brave enough to go alone. We took the below chart from Pinterest and set out to test the ability to make a delicious smoothie. It was a beautiful sunny day in the summer … it felt like everything was on our side.
Spoiler Alert – we were not successful.
Green Smoothie Chart
Apple Peach Kale
Kiwi Banana Kale
Orange Pineapple Spinach
Cucumber Celery Spinach
Peach Papaya Kale
What We Made
After a brief discussion of how this chart was a trap – how can any two items make a good green smoothie? We decided on the recipes we would follow and promised to try each one. No matter what.
Jane picked the first smoothie as an 🍏 apple, peach, & kale mixed with half water and half orange juice. I think she picked apple because she brought it 🙂
I picked a 🥝 kiwi, banana, kale smoothie mixed with half water and orange juice. There was zero doubt in my mind that a banana had to be included in order for the smoothie to get the proper texture.
Annie started the rouge movement by selecting 🍊 orange, pineapple & spinach mixed with water. Oranges in a smoothie? Felt odd to me.
We wanted to really challenge the chart by not selecting a fruit at all. 🥒 Cucumber, celery & spinach mixed with half water and orange juice.
Papaya was alluring to all of us, so we had to make one. Hence the 🍑 papaya, peach and kale smoothie.
Now, when I see the pretty pictures and read the ingredients I am not horrified. I remember feeling confident in the chart, except for the cucumber smoothie. I wanted to believe that all of these would turn out delicious and that making smoothies really is this easy.
At this time I think you should watch our video recap.
Our Takeaways
If you watched the video, you’re welcome. If you are in a hurry and haven’t watched it you are missing out. Actually, if you are in a bad mood you should save this video because it is so ridiculous that it might just cheer you up when you are down. 😂
Outside of quality ingredients to get delicious flavors we think texture and consistency are top of the list. We pulled all the kale and spinach out of my garden – organic and grown locally. We had sourced mostly fresh ingredients that we then froze. Here is what we learned:
Liquid is the enemy in finding a good consistency. Remember you can’t take liquid out. Start off cautiously and add in as needed.
Frozen ingredients are key. They don’t ALL have to be frozen, but at least half should be to give yourself a good texture and consistency.
The banana is the backbone of the smoothie. The ONLY smoothie that blended well, had a good texture was the kiwi banana spinach smoothie. I am 100% convinced that was because of the banana.
Get a good blender. We used a Ninja blender. It was good, BUT I then went out and purchased this Ninja Smoothie Specific blender and it was 1.5 million times better. Draw back to the Ninja Smoothie Blender is that it does NOT fit the other attachments for a larger containers.
Smoothie Recommendations
Now since pretty much everything we made failed completely and entirely we thought we would give you our favorite smoothie recipes.
Chellie – Banana, 1 c frozen mango, 3 large frozen strawberries, fill half way up with water/OJ.
TIP: “If I am adding protein powder I decrease the amount of frozen fruit to keep it from being too thick or too large.”
TIP: “I add 1 scoop of strawberry whey protein powder if I am using this as a post work recovery smoothie.”
Jane – 1 c Frozen strawberries, 1/2c greek yogurt, honey to taste & water to preferred consistency
TIP: “I like to mix in some orange juice with the water to change up the smoothie every so often.”
MORE RECIPES
If you love strawberries as much as I do, then read this article for 3 strawberry recipes. I share with you my 3 go to recipes for strawberry season. Plus a great smoothie recipe! And for those of you that use smoothies because they are packed full of nutrients and fast you should take a look at my article on quick snacks. These are snacks you can make ahead of time and keep in the fridge for easy access. Pay close attention to the almond joy energy ball recipe – wowzers is that one delicious.
Also, for those of you that like eating and cooking with fresh ingredients check out this collection of recipes for tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and basil. I have the easiest pesto recipe you can find out there, plus great ways to store your pesto to use all year long.
And to wrap it up you can look at Jane’s healthy treat recipes for some ways to incorporate nutrient dense treats into your day and week. A personal favorite of mine are the peanut butter stuffed date dipped in chocolate. If you haven’t tried dates yet… get started with this recipe.
Click to sign-up for weekly information and offers.
DISCLOSURE
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
