Mexican Soy Tostadas
Tostadas are translated to mean, toasted. They date back 2,000 years ago to the highly indigenous state of Oaxaca, Mexico, to the territory of the Monte Alban ruins. Tostadas were a way to salvage leftover tortillas, which weren’t fresh to eat but not stale enough to toss out. * In 1963, Mexican restauranteur Henri Sánchez purchased all of Mexico’s supply of tortillas to drive his competitors into bankruptcy. Waiting for his demise, Sánchez proved his enemies wrong, by frying the tortillas that were turning stale ** Today, tostadas are widely eaten in Mexico and beyond. Here I pair them with a soy crumble, my red enchilada sauce, cabbage, and a dollop of crema, a thinned sour cream. Try them and you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients
- 18 oz. or 1 ½ packages Smart Ground® Mexican Lightlife, Plant-Based Crumbles, available at grocery stores like Safeway
- 1 package Guerrero, or other brand, 5-inch tostadas
- 1 cup My Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce, see Central American recipes, or store-bought enchilada sauce.
- 2 ½ cups shredded cabbage
- ¼ cup + 2 t. full-fat sour cream, use dairy substitute if vegan
- 2 T. water
Directions
- Step 1 Wash the cabbage and remove any loose, older leaves, and pat dry. Then, chop off the stem and slice the cabbage in half, slicing through the stem. Next, cut each cabbage half in two parts, again through the stem. Then, take one of the quarters and slice off the stem. Now, you can shred the cabbage. Chop the quarter vertically for long cuts and horizontally for short cuts.
- Step 2 Next, combine the sour cream and water to make a thinner consistency, more like the Mexican version of crema. It shouldn’t run, nor should it clump. It should be somewhere in between, like the consistency of gravy. I just like the sour cream thinned down a bit instead of biting into a large clump of sour cream. And note, every time you refrigerate this crema, it will thicken, so you will need to adjust its thickness, again.
- Step 3 Now, empty the soy in a large mixing bowl that is microwave safe. Add the enchilada sauce and combine. Heat in the microwave until warm, approximately 1–2 minutes, depending on the temperature of your microwave. Set aside.
- Step 4 Then, take the number of tostadas you are serving and spread a layer of soy on top. Now, sprinkle with a handful of cabbage and pour over a small amount of crema. Serve when hot!
- Step 5 Note: if you can’t find Smart Ground® Mexican Lightlife, you can buy a plant-based product, like the Impossible Burger. Then, simply add a combination of ground cumin, paprika, or chili powder, Mexican oregano, minced garlic, and onion. Crumble, cook, and enjoy!
These Mexican soy tostadas are fast and easy to make, requiring only 18 minutes and using just 6 ingredients, one of which is water. The crumbled Mexican soy is a good source of protein and makes this dish vegan if paired with vegan sour cream. Serve with your choice of beans and a cold margarita for a Mexican night!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serving size: 1 tostada, servings per recipe: 9, calories:251 , total fat: 10.1g., saturated fat: 3.2 g., cholesterol: 6 mg., sodium: 491 mg., total carbohydrate: 28.9 g., dietary fiber: 4.7 g., total sugars: 1.9 g., protein: 11.7 g., calcium: 32 mg., iron: 8 mg., potassium: 361 mg., vitamin D: 0 mcg.
SOURCES:
*“Dish of the Day: Tostadas,” foodpanda, last accessed 12 April 2022, https://magazine.foodpanda.my/dish-of-the-day-tostadas/
** “Tostadas,” Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!!, last accessed 12 April 2022 https://cookservedelicious.fandom.com/wiki/Tostadas