Black Bean Tostadas and Lemongrass Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps -- two easy dinners

I haven't posted any recipes for a long time because I haven't been very excited about food recently.  Or more accurately, I haven't been very excited about cooking recently.  Last Sunday night I sat down to plan meals for the week and could not think of a single thing to make.  So I shuffled through a stack of torn-out recipes in hopes that something would inspire.  And it did.  Here are two easy dinners that were hit over here and quick to make:

This is a recipe you could easily alter and use whatever you have -- I made tacos because I had tortillas instead, add chicken, roast any other vegetables and add, put an egg on top.

Black Bean Tostadas
    from Aug 2014 Sunset magazine -- image from Sunset, too (though yours will be this pretty, too)


1 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used green because I had it)
1/2 tsp each ground dried chipotle chile (I didn't have this) and cumin
2 cans black beans (could make your own here adding above)
8 tostada shells/doubled-up corn tortillas
1 avocado, sliced
1 c crumbled queso fresco, shredded jack or cotija cheese crumbled
lime wedges
salsa and/or sour cream

-warm oil in frying pan over med heat
-add garlic, onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until onion softened (8-10 min)
-add ground chile and cumin, cook until fragrant (~1 min)

-drain beans reserving liquid
-add beans and about 1/2 c liquid (give or take) to pan.  Stir and mash until beans are form a slightly chunky puree and are heated through (~3-5 min)

-to assemble: top each shell with 1/2 c bean mixture, few sliced radishes, avocado slices and cheese.  Serve with lime wedges and salsa.

(SO GOOD SO EASY!)


Lemongrass Ginger Chicken in Lettuce Cups
    from April 2014, Sunset magazine (image from Sunset, too)

1 lb ground chicken (I used turkey)
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
3 Tbs minced ginger, divided
1/4 cup good-quality hoisin sauce (like Koon Chun or Lee Kum Kee)
1 Tbs lime juice
2 tsp peanut butter
3 Tbs vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
1 medium carrot, diced
8 canned water chestnuts, chopped (I added more)
2 green onions, chopped
2 Tbs, minced lemon grass
1-2 jalapeno chiles, chopped (didn't use because of kids)
3/4 c finely diced cucumber (didn't have)
1/2 c salted roasted peanuts, chopped
salt
12 lettuce-leaf cups, iceberg or butter (used butter -- great texture)

-Mix chicken with 1 Tbs fish sauce, sugar, and 2 Tbs ginger and set aside
-In a small bowl combine hoisin with lime, peanut butter and remaining 1 tsp fish sauce, and stir until smooth; set aside (this will be the sauce you serve chicken with).
-Heat large frying pan (not nonstick) over med-high heat.  Swirl in oil and add garlic and remaining tsp ginger.  Cook til fragrant
-Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, breaking up chunks
-Add carrot, water chestnuts, green onions, lemon grass and chiles -- cook until chicken cooked through (about a minute more)
-Add cucumber and peanuts -- stir to combine.  Salt to taste and serve.
-To eat, spread hoisin sauce mixture on a lettuce cup and top with chicken mixture.