Vegan Black Bean Tostadas

~ Hannah

*These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! Crispy tortillas are topped with quick refried beans and plenty of veggies.*

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

Happy Taco Tuesday!! Or in this case, Tostada Tuesday! 🙂 One of the things I love most about living in California (besides the close proximity to the ocean and the sunshine – although we don’t actually get too much of that here in San Francisco) is the Mexican food! Seriously, I don’t think I could live without my practically weekly fix of burritos, tacos, and cheesy quesadillas. I’m not sure I would survive on the East Coast – where apparently good Mexican food is few and far between and Chipotle is as close as you’ll get in many cases. And avocados are practically a food group in my mind, so I can’t even imagine a place where their creamy, dreamy goodness isn’t always readily available!

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

All that being said, we take our Mexican food quite seriously here on the West Coast. In San Francisco, in particular, the spot to head to for the best tacos ever is the Mission District. There’s fierce competition between a few different taquerias in the neighborhood, but my absolute favorite spot is a little hole in the wall called Cancun that serves up the best carne asada, carnitas, and lengua this side of the border. One of my very favorite ways to pass a weekend afternoon (especially in the spring and summer!) is to pick up a burrito from Cancun, grab a six pack, and walk the couple blocks over to a local park that’s very popular on nice, sunny days. A little Mexican feast, a little sunbathing, maybe a little frisbee – that’s my idea of the perfect California afternoon.

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

These tostadas here are my attempt to make Mexican food at home – and they turned out amazing, if I do say so myself! These babies are accidentally vegan, I would say, since the homemade refried beans, crispy tortillas, and copious fresh veggies really crowd out any need for meat or even cheese. To make the beans, I started with a humble can of black beans. I cooked them up with lots of onion and garlic, some cayenne pepper and cumin, then mashed everything together for a delicious, slightly spicy, hearty yet light take on the classically heavy dish. These beans get spread on corn tortillas, crisped briefly in the oven, and then everything is topped with fresh greens, sliced tomatoes and radish, plenty of avocado (of course) and a healthy dollop of fresh salsa. This dish is surprisingly easy to put together and definitely works to satisfy even my strongest Mexican craving. Now, all we need is a margarita!

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

Vegan Black Bean Tostadas

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! Crispy tortillas are topped with quick refried beans and plenty of veggies.

  • If you’re not strictly vegan, feel free to add a dollop of sour cream, some crumbled feta cheese, or even a fried egg to each tostada!

Ingredients

For Tortillas:

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

For Refried Beans:

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • ½ onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 can black beans
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Serving:

  • 2 avocados
  • 8 ounces cherry tomatoes
  • 4 ounces radishes
  • 4 ounces fresh greens
  • juice of 4 limes
  • fresh salsa

Directions

  1. To bake tortillas, preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Place tortillas on a baking sheet.
  3. Brush with half of the oil and sprinkle with some of the salt. Flip tortillas over, then repeat with remaining oil and salt.
  4. Bake, flipping halfway through, until crispy and golden brown, about ten minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, to make refried beans, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  6. Peel and dice onion. Add to olive oil and let cook, stirring regularly, until softened and browned, about five minutes.
  7. Peel and mince garlic clove. Add to onion and continue cooking for two more minutes.
  8. Drain black beans and rinse thoroughly.
  9. Add beans, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and one quarter cup water to skillet. Let cook, stirring regularly, until warmed through, about five minutes.
  10. Mash together with a fork until smooth, adding a couple more tablespoons of water if necessary.
  11. To assemble tostadas, divide crispy tortillas among four plates.
  12. Top with refried beans, dividing evenly.
  13. Half avocados and remove the pits. Slice each half into thin slices, then use a spoon to scoop out slices.
  14. Half tomatoes.
  15. Thinly slice radishes.
  16. Top each tostada with greens, sliced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced radish.
  17. Finish each tostada with a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of salsa.

These Vegan Black Bean Tostadas are an easy homemade dinner to satisfy any Mexican craving! | The Millennial Cook #mexican #tostada #avocado #vegetarian #vegan

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