Quick Chicken Tostadas + Give-away Winner

I don't know about you, but when the weather is this hot and muggy, my interest in eating is limited ... and my interest in cooking is almost non-existent. It helps to have a few quick go-to summer meals that satisfy yet require little effort in terms of preparation. Today's Chicken Tostadas fit that bill in spades.

I came across this recipe several years ago in Bon Appetite. I no longer remember the month or the issue, nor do I follow a recipe, but this dish is such that the exact measurements hardly matter at all. Use what you've got, use this as a starting point, a guideline of sorts - and you'll be on your way to the dinner table in no time at all. Promise.

Quick Chicken Tostadas:

• 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• juice of 1/2 fresh lime
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 - 3 dashes Tabasco or hot sauce, optional
• pinch of salt and a dash of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
• 1 cup of prepared guacamole
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup black beans, canned, rinsed and drained
• 4 small corn tortillas
• shredded lettuce, romaine or red leaf
• prepared salsa
• herbed goat cheese, crumbled

In a bowl, combine the cubed cooked chicken, chopped tomatoes and chopped red onion. Stir to combine. In another small bowl, combine the juice from 1/2 of a large fresh lime and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, whisking well to combine. To this mixture add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper, then whisk well to combine and pour over the chicken and tomato mixture. Add the chopped cilantro and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Add the black beans to the guacamole and stir well to combine. If desired, you may add a dash or two of hot sauce and some additional lime juice to the mixture. Reserve.

Toast the corn tortillas in your toaster oven or bake in a 425 degree F oven until crisp and light golden brown. Remove from oven and place each tortilla on a serving plate.

To assemble the tostadas: top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the guacamole and bean mixture and spread in an even layer, adding more if you desire. Top the guacamole with a layer of shredded lettuce and over the lettuce spoon some of the reserved chicken and tomato mixture. Be generous, this is dinner! Spoon some salsa over the top of the tostada and dot with some crumbled herbed goat cheese to taste. Serve immediately, with additional hot sauce and some wedges of lime for garnish. Enjoy!

As written this recipe will serve 4.

I generally used grilled chicken breast, though some roast chicken would do as well. As for the tomatoes, use what you've got: grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, any kind of tomato will work! And if you're enterprising, you could certainly make your own guacamole and salsa .... but sometimes its nice to take a little help where you can get it. Either way, you'll be rewarded with an extremely tasty meal that's every bit as delicious as it is easy to prepare!

Winner Announcement: The Xagave give-away closed last night, so I will announce the winner today. I used random.org to generate a number and the winner is comment number 6! Deb said: "I'm so torn - lemon poppyseed bread, carrot pineapple cake or peanut rice crispy treats! Ah decisions, decisions and no idea what to choose!"

Good news, Deb, now you can try them all! I'll email you today for your address and the good folks at Xagave will be shipping off your package soon. Congratulations!!

I'll be hosting a different give-away tomorrow, so stay tuned, all.

Cheers!