All things round and flat…

Today we sat down together for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And, coincidentally, all three meals were made up of round, flat foods!

After staying up till 2:00 a.m. last night working on a thesis and job applications, we slept in (till 9:20) this morning and then made some fluffy Yockel Pancakes. For a late lunch, we put together some easy & delicious Black Bean Tostadas:

• 1 package tostadas
• 1 can refried black beans
• 1 can chipotle salsa (we use San Marcos brand from our local produce store)
• 2 cups shredded head lettuce
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 lime, juiced
• splash of olive oil
• dash of cumin
• 1 avacado, sliced

Add one can of black beans to a medium sauce pan and mix in 2-3 tablespoons of chipotle sauce (depending on your preferred spice level), salt, pepper, and cumin. Continue heating on low until ready to serve. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the shredded lettuce, cilantro, red onion, and tomato. Then, drizzle olive oil and lime iuice over mixture and toss. To prepare, spread a couple spoonfuls of warm beans over the crisp tostadas, then top with sliced avacado and lettuce mixture. Quick and easy lunch in served! But, we didn’t take pics – sorry!

For dinner, we headed across Clark Street to our favorite local bar, In Fine Spirits, for their weekly Wednesday night special – $3 cans of craft beer & cask ale and $5 flatbreads. We shared three different 6-inch flatbreads – chicken, short rib, and a house flatbread with truffle oil. We also tried their Surly Furious IPA cask ale and two canned beers from Ska Brewery in Durango, Colorado.

All in all, it was a great day full of all things round and flat…

~ Lauren & Scott

Ska Brewery's IPA at In Fine Spirits

Flatbread at In Fine Spirits

Chicken & Citrus Slaw Tostadas

As one of Scott’s co-workers was departing Chicago a couple of weeks ago, we hosted a small going-away party for him and his wife. We had a great time hosting and it was the biggest crowd we have ever fit around our dining room table – 11 people total! Our guests brought the makings for margaritas, Mexican beer, mushroom ceviche, and a variety of sorbets for dessert. We prepared fresh guacamole, fire-roasted salsa, and chicken & citrus slaw tostadas.

Ignacio & Anny's Mushroom Ceviche, which was served on a layer of sweet potato and greens.

We discovered the tostada recipe by Paula Disbrowe in the Best of the Best Food & Wine cookbook that Scott’s parents gave us for Christmas this past year. We have prepared it twice now and enjoyed it both times:

• 3 ounces firm tofu, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/2 small green cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 1/4 small red cabbage, shredded (about 1.5 cups)
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 3 1/2 cups shredded roasted chicken (from 1 medium roast chicken)
• vegetable oil for frying
• 6-inch corn tortillas
• lime wedges for garnish

To begin, prepare the tostadas. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a hot, small skillet. When oil is hot, add a tortilla and fry for a couple of minutes until crispy on both sides. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and then proceed with the remaining tortillas. (FYI, we are still working out the kinks on the tostadas. Sometimes they don’t come out as crisp as they should be; we have found that cooling on a wire rack works better than paper towels)

Next, create the dressing for your citrus slaw. In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, lime juice, vinegar, honey, mustard, and chipotle and process until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of oil slowly and process until creamy. Transfer dressing to a bowl and add orange zest, lime zest, and salt & pepper to taste.

To make the slaw, in a huge bowl, toss the cabbage, onions, carrots, and cilantro with salt and pepper. Add all but three tablespoons of the dressing and toss. Add the shredded chicken and toss again.

To assemble the final dish, place a tostada on your plate and add a heaping spoonful of the chicken and citrus slaw. Garnish with a lime wedge and drizzle a little more dressing across the top.

Chicken & Citrus Slaw Tostada