By France Morissette, Restless Palatte
Cocoa Spiced Bean Tostadas with Peach Salsa
4- x 6-inch corn tortillas
Cocoa Pinto Beans (recipe below)
Peach Mint Salsa (recipe below)
1 avocado, steamed chard, or 2 cups grated zucchini
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet. Place a pie plate or flat object on top of the tortillas to keep them from curling up.
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until firm and crispy. Meanwhile make beans and salsa. Top each tostada with a scant 1/2 cup of bean mixture. Top with sliced avocado, steamed chard, or grated zucchini. Top with Peach Mint Salsa. Devour!
Cocoa Pinto Beans
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large tomato, diced
1-1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (or black beans)
4 teaspoon raw cacao (or unsweetened cocoa)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried red chilies
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice (juice 1 lime and use remaining for peach salsa)
1 teaspoon honey (Optional, depending on cacao used. It can be bitter at times, add if necessary)
Scant 1/2 tsp salt (or adjust to taste)
Fresh ground pepper
1. In a large frying pan, sautée onions and garlic with olive oil for 2 minutes or until onion begins to soften.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, cacao, cumin, and chilies. Cook until tomatoes soften and flavors blend. About 5 minutes.
3. Add cilantro stir to combine and taste. Add honey if necessary. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.
Peach Mint Salsa
2 peaches, pits removed and diced
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or green onion)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
