Food Made Fresh: Fresh

Tostadas have long been a favorite of mine. What could possibly be wrong with eating fresh crunchy ingredients atop a crisp, toasted shell? And I'll admit, I used to love the ooey-gooey pull of a large amount of melted cheddar. But as I've opened my mind to more whole-food, plant-based eating, I have found that incredible flavor and options have not abandoned me.

I use a variety of beans for making tostadas. Sometimes it just depends on what I have handy in a can, or if I have leftover beans I have cooked over the weekend. I typically keep bags of dried pintos, black beans, and Anasazi beans in the pantry. For this particular tostada night, I used leftover Anasazi beans, and added diced green chile, and I mashed them in a non-stick skillet.

I load up diced tomatoes, black olives, onion, shreds of lettuce, and in place of cheese, I choose a rich, creamy avocado, or I prepare guacamole to top it off.

If you favor using sour cream on your tostadas, a good dairy-free option is to make a crema with homemade cashew cream. I like to add lime juice and lime zest for extra zing and tartness.

In times past, I have fried the corn tortillas in oil to create a tostada base. Or I used purchased prepared shells. However, the air fryer creates a perfectly crunchy tostada shell without oil. I look for corn tortillas at the grocery store that look as though they have puffy layers. This will help to form pockets of air which will result in a super crispy shell.

Use the type of bean you love the most, and canned beans are perfectly good, even a canned refried bean to make quick work of preparing dinner. But beware, read the labels, not all refried beans are created equally. Look for one with the fewest ingredients, preferably just beans. This will be the healthiest option, and you will not notice the difference at all.

Tip: When I use canned beans, I drain and rinse them before adding them to the skillet to mash.

Enjoy the versatility of tostadas, without even adding cheese. And enjoy food made fresh!

8 soft corn tortillas

4 cups precooked pinto, black, or Anasazi beans

1/2 cup diced roasted green chiles

2 cup torn lettuce leaves

1 diced tomato, or several grape tomato halves

1/4 onion, peeled and diced

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1 large avocado, halved, pitted, removed from skin, and sliced

Optional - salsa, cashew crema with lime, and shredded red cabbage to top

Place tortillas on rack in air fryer. Set to 400 degrees F. Set timer to 6 minutes. (Optionally, you can preheat an oven to 400 degrees F and place tortillas directly on the rack of the oven.) Cook tortillas for 6 minutes or until light golden brown, and crisp, all the way through. Set aside.

Place beans without juice in a nonstick skillet. Mash with a potato masher if not using refried beans. Add green chiles and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Spread a portion of the mashed bean mixture onto each prepared tortilla. Add lettuce, tomato, onion, and olives. Top with slices of avocado, (or guacamole). Then add any other desired toppings. Serve warm. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: Beans may be seasoned with a 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 onion powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper, if desired.

ANGELINA LARUE is a food writer, recipe developer and author of "The Whole Enchilada Fresh and Nutritious Southwestern Cuisine."