Braised Greens Tostadas

Another 2 months, a wedding, & a honeymoon to Ecuador have all passed since my last blog post. I come to you now with new (matching!) dishes, knifes that are actually sharp,& the beginning of this summer's CSA bounties. Here in Colorado, June means greens. We start getting the amazing zucchini & yellow squash soon, but for now, it's greens...spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, bok choy, lettuce. We even get edible weeds like purslane. And we get them in giant quantities which are perfect for braising because the mass of greens shrinks down into a more manageable size.

These tostadas/tacos are vegetarian but don't have any beans or tofu (what??). Yet, they are still substantial enough to make a summer dinner without sweating to death in the kitchen. Use any kind of greens you have available. I used a mixture of chard, lettuce, kale, & purslane.

Braised Greens Tostadas
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
large yellow onion; chopped into long slices
3 garlic cloves; finely chopped (I used my new garlic press!)
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
large bunch of greens; de-stemed, rinsed, & ripped into 1/2in strips
1/2 cup water
salt
4 tostadas (or taco shells or tortillas)
1 cup salsa (I used Newman's Own black bean & corn salsa)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (crumbled queso fresco would also be awesome)

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onions & cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic & red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for another minute.

3. Add greens, water, & salt. Cover & cook for 5 minutes. The heat needs to be high enough that the water is boiling in order to steam the greens.

4. Remove cover & cook until most of the water boils off.

5. Layer salsa, greens, & cheese on tostadas & serve.

Makes 4.





And one more thing I made yesterday that's not food but is kitchen related...refrigerator magnets!