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These High-Protein, Healthy Tostadas Will Be Your New Favorite Easy Dinner

Francesca Krempa

April 19, 2020

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This easy tostada recipe is sure to be a hit with everyone at your dinner table. Watch the full video here.

When it comes to healthy cooking, it's hard to please everyone, especially if you're navigating different dietary preferences. (Never ask a vegan and a Paleo fanatic to the same dinner party...) And when you're cooking for a family, picky eaters can throw a wrench in your meal planning.

Thankfully, on our latest episode of Cook With Us, chef Lesley Téllez shows us how to whip up a nutritious meal almost everyone can enjoy. Her healthy chicken tostadas serve as a versatile base—while also being high in protein, gluten-free, and quick to make. Think: You're only 30 minutes away from eating restaurant-quality Mexican food.

Tėllez, who’s also the author of the cookbook Eat Mexico, starts by making a tangy slaw of fresh cabbage, grated carrots and cilantro (which you can sub-out for parsley if it’s not really your thing.) Then, she dresses the veggies in salt, olive oil, and pineapple vinegar. And don't skimp on the sodium here. “If you don’t salt it enough, it’s kind of going to taste blah,” she says.

After putting the slaw in the fridge to chill, she doubles down on the proteins for the main toppings. While she bakes boneless chicken thighs, she makes homemade refried beans using just a can of black beans, water, olive oil, garlic, and onion. Then everything—the chicken, refried beans, and cabbage slaw—is plated over crunchy, gluten-free tostadas and garnished with a wedge of lime, dash of hot sauce and dollop of fresh crema.

While these healthy chicken tostadas are packed with nutrition, their real claim-to-fame is how customizable they are. “Everybody can make it the way that they want,” Tėllez explains. “One thing I really crave in Mexican cooking is heat and acidity...I like to have a lime wedge on everyone’s plate and they can put however much they want on top of their tostada.” So don't be afraid to make them your own. Not a spice fan? Skip the hot sauce. Not in the mood for chicken? Substitute in leftover protein or try jackfruit carnitas for a plant-based twist.

There's no right or wrong way to top your tostadas, but if you want to try Tėllez's recipe as is, watch the full video here.

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