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TIP OF THE DAY: Ways To Use Tostadas

November 1, 2012 at 7:45 am · Filed under International Foods, Tip Of The Day


Pile your favorite ingredients atop a tostada and dig in. Photo © Lessthanempty |
Dreamstime.

   A tostada is a crisp-fried corn tortilla. When the edges are curled up to form a shallow bowl, it’s called a chalupa. It’s frequently topped with shredded beef, chicken or pork, shredded or crumbled cheese, chopped vegetables (tomatoes, green onions, cilantro) and often, refried beans, guacamole and/or salsa; then topped with sour cream.

You can buy packaged tostadas and make Mexican-style dishes, or take the fusion road and top tostadas with popular American fixings.

TOSTADA TOPPERS

Top your tostada with:

  • Beef: cooked ground beef or other meat, shredded lettuce, shredded Cheddar or jack cheese and diced tomatoes.
  • Chili: chili, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, topped with sour cream and served with sides of salsa and guacamole.
  • Chicken: shredded chicken or grilled strips, shredded lettuce, shredded Cheddar or jack cheese, diced tomatoes and
  • Other Poultry: duck with green onions and hoisin sauce, turkey with mashed sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.
    		•
  • Pork: shredded pork and crumbled feta or goat cheese and diced cucumber.
  • Surf & Turf: grilled shrimp and/or skirt steak strips with guacamole and refried beans.
  • Ceviche: shrimp, scallop or mixed seafood ceviche with cilantro, lime juice, tomatoes and avocado (ceviche recipes).
  • Fish: seared tuna, salmon or other fish with ginger coleslaw.
  • Fish Tartare: tuna or salmon tartare with guacamole.
  • Canned Fish: canned tuna or salmon.
  • Jumbo Nacho: a tostada covered in melted cheese, sliced jalapeño and salsa, with optional guacamole
  • Veggie: grilled vegetbles and crumbled feta or cotija or goat cheese.
  • Eggs: fried, poached, scrambled.
  • Salads: chicken salad, green salad, shrimp salad, tuna salad.
  • Green Salad: shredded carrot, lettuce, red cabbage; chopped tomato, red or green onion; guacamole, sour cream.
  • Freestyle: chopped chicken liver, cream cheese and jelly, peanut butter and jelly—go for it!
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    TOSTADA ACCENTS

    In addition to a protein or grilled vegetables and shredded lettuce, the tostada can be accented with:

  • Baby arugula
  • Beans: kidney, refried, pinto
  • Bell pepper strips (green, orange, red)
  • Diced cucumber
  • Diced mango or pineapple, apple or pear matchsticks, dried blueberries/cherries/cranberries or other fruit
  • Diced tomatoes or tomatillos (the difference)
  • Green onion or red onion
  • Green or red salsa
  • Guacamole
  • Heat: sliced or minced jalapeño or other chile
  • Herbs: cilantro, parsley, other favorite
  • Jalapeño or pickled jalapeño, sliced thin
  • Shredded lettuce
    		•  

    Grilled vegetables on a tostada. Photo © Lessthanempty | Dreamstime.

  • Shredded Cheddar or jack cheese, crumbled cotija or goat cheese
  • Sliced olives
  • Sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • Wedge of lime

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    Did we leave something out? Let us know!

      

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    BOOK: 50 Simple Soups For The Slow Cooker

    October 31, 2012 at 8:08 am · Filed under Recipes, Soups, Thanksgiving & Fall


    Make exciting soups in a slow cooker. Photo
    courtesy Andrews McMeel Publishing.    		   Do you want to make your own soups but don’t have the time?

    Make them in a slow cooker. Lynn Alley’s book, 50 Simple Soups For The Slow Cooker, is a treasure trove of delectable recipes. No slow cooker? You can use a rice cooker instead.

    “Simple” soups are simple to make, but big in flavor. Some of the 50 recipes include:

  • Blue Cheese Potato Soup
  • Curried Butternut Squash Soup
  • Eggplant Soup With Cumin, Yogurt & Dill
  • Pasta e Fagioli Soup
  • Spanish Potato And Green Olive Soup
    		•
     
    There are also family favorites from black bean soup and corn chowder to French onion soup and minestrone. Global recipes range from Greek avgolemmono and Middle Eastern hummus soup to Japanese miso soup and Mexican posole.

    Every recipe looks so good, we’re going to start at the beginning and work our way through. At one soup per week, that’s almost a year’s worth.

     

    RECIPE: APPLE PIE SOUP FOR THE SLOW
    COOKER

    This easy-to-prepare seasonal soup can be enjoyed as a conventional soup course, as as a small “intermezzo” between the appetizer and main course (serve it in espresso cups or other small vessels) or as a dessert course—again, in a small cup as part of a larger dessert, or in a regular bowl.

    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours
    Yield: Serves 4 to 6

    Ingredients

  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 6 cloves
  • 6 allspice berries
    		•   

    Apple pie soup: familiar and delicious. Photo courtesy Andrews McMeel Publishing.

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 5 large Granny Smith apples, quartered, cored, and sliced
  • 5 cups water
  • 2/3 cup raisins
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons honey (optional)
  • 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt or sour cream (we used fat-free Greek yogurt)

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    Preparation

    1. GRIND. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the cinnamon, cloves and allspice to a fine powder.

    2. COOK. Place the butter and apples in a 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours, until the apples are soft and the juice nice and browned. Mash any large pieces of apple, then add the water, spices, and raisins and continue cooking for 2 hours longer.

    3. ADD. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice and honey. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the yogurt or sour cream. The tartness of the yogurt is a nice counterpoint to the sweet apples and raisins.

    Find more of our favorite soup recipes.

      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Sugar-Free Candy Apples

    October 31, 2012 at 7:19 am · Filed under Halloween & Fall, Recipes

    Bright red candy apples are an iconic Halloween treat—except for people who can’t have sugar.

    To the rescue is White House pastry chef Bill Yosses. Here’s his recipe for sugar-free candy apples, made with Splenda.

    Perhaps they’re what Sasha and Malia will be enjoying today.

    Find more of our favorite sugar-free treats.

    Many people in the areas struck by Hurricane Sandy will not be enjoying Halloween today. Our thoughts go out to everyone who has lost loved ones, homes and businesses to this devastation.

    		 
    Sugar free candy apples. Photo courtesy Splenda.
     
      

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    RESTAURANT: Empire Room At The Empire State Building

    October 30, 2012 at 6:14 pm · Filed under Restaurants


    It could be a 1930s movie set. Photo courtesy Empire Room | NYC.

    		  

    Soaring more than a quarter of a mile above the heart of Manhattan, the Empire State Building is an Art Deco masterpiece and perhaps the world’s most famous office building.

    On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington, D.C., which turned on the Empire State Building’s lights and officially opened the now-iconic building.

    Observatories on the 86th and 102nd floors offer unmatched views of New York City to some four million visitors each year. On a clear day, they can see to New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

    But what about lunch, before or after the observation decks? The Empire State Building is surrounded by fast food outlets and Irish bars—not exactly the type of ambiance one craves after the high of spectacular views.
     

    Thank goodness for the Empire Room. On the ground floor of the West 33rd Street side of the building, the space, which opened two years ago designed as a 1930s-era swanky cocktail lounge, is now serving lunch.

    The menu comprises classic American luncheon favorites: popular sandwiches, flat breads and panini; salads; and a chicken breast with sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, bacon and honey Dijon. For a bargain $3.00, you can add a glass of wine or a beer; or a more pricey but delicious house-designed cocktail.

    We lunched there recently and wanted to try everything on the menu. We ended up with an excellent starter (chili, a special house recipe with flavors deepened by 100% cacao chocolate and a pinch of cinnamon), the chopped salad main course (top-quality feta cheese, garbanzo beans, roasted peppers, tomato, onion and grilled shrimp) and a delightful miniature cheesecake.

    The highest compliment we can pay is that we would gladly have returned to eat the same meal for dinner. At our earliest opportunity, we’ll be back for more.

     

    The 3,500 square feet of brushed stainless steel, curved marble bar, tufted banquettes, glass-topped tables and Art Deco chandeliers looks like a movie set. It accommodates up to 150 guests and is often rented for private parties.

    HOW TO GET THERE

  • The official address of the Empire Room 350 Fifth Avenue, which is between 33rd and 34th Streets. If you enter through the main entrance, you’ll have to perambulate through the Art Deco lobby.
  • If you’re coming from downtown, you can save a bit of walking by turning left on Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street (or a right from Sixth Avenue) and walking down the block to the entrance of the restaurant.
    		•   

    A popular cocktail lounge, the Empire Room now serves lunch. Photo courtesy Empire Room.

  • The hours are 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but for a reservation call 212.643.5400.

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    For more information about the Empire Room, visit HospitalityHoldings.com.
      

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    PRODUCT: Wall Herb Garden

    October 30, 2012 at 8:50 am · Filed under Kitchenware-Tabletop, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

    Would you like a kitchen herb garden, but lack the necessary windowsill space?

    Pick up a Living Wall planter from WoollyPocket.com. It’s available in seven colors.

    All it needs is a wall space that’s 13 inches x 18 inches.

    Fresh basil, dill, parsley and other favorites will soon be yours for the snipping!

    		  
    Plant herbs on your wall. Photo courtesy Wooly Pocket.
     
      

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