Lunch or Dinner, this meal is a Winner! LOL.... cheesy rhyme but right on time! LOL... okay, okay I'm done with the corny phrases...heehee! Well, as you can see I'm pretty excited about this 15 minute meal.
Why? Because I'm a busy mom, wife, doctor, and entrepreneur on the go and we need quick, healthy, anti-inflammatory meal options to help us with our health #MVPGoals, right?
Chronic and systemic inflammation is the culprit for many of our preventable ailments and diseases. It is associated with chronic pain, such as myalgias (muscle pain) and joint pain, as well as connected to various autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Type 2 diabetes. Meals like this "Chickpea Tostada" are loaded with ingredients that are designed to support your MVP health and #PainFreedom Goals.
Take the chickpeas and black beans for example, which are packed with fiber, protein, and antioxidants that will assist in gut health, improves insulin resistance, bone health and decreasing inflammation. Black beans contain, Quercetin which is a natural anti-inflammatory. Hey, but wait, that's not it! I also packed this meal with spices and herbs that will take this 15 minute "Pain Freedom Meal" to the next level! These include cumin with it's packed with flavonoids and phenols which are potent antioxidants known to fight free-radicals and inflammation. Cumin is also showing promise in the research as helpful in weight-loss, managing blood sugar and cholesterol. Just about every ingredient in this dish packs with a punch to "knock out" inflammation! Pun intended...LOL!
Well, let's jump right into it. First of all, my family never gets tired of Mexican-inspired dishes. All you need is 15 minutes and everybody has 15 minutes,right?
INGREDIENTS:
(serves 4)
- Corn Tortillas (4)
- 10 oz diced tomato drained well
- 1 to 2 diced green chili peppers
- pinch of Himalayan sea salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 yellow or white onion finely chopped
- 2 1/2 cups NON-GMO plain hummus
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp cilantro
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 16 oz drained Black Beans
- 2 Avocados (pitted and smashed)
- 1 lime
(Note: My favorite time-saving chopper used for this recipe and many others : the Vidalia Chop Wizard)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Let's start with the simple pico de gallo. Dice the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and green chili peppers with your Vidalia Chop Wizard or similar device. Add a pinch of salt (Himalayan) and black pepper. Mix well and give it a fresh squeeze of lime juice. Set aside.
Let's prepare my favorite part of this dish next. Instead of using the commonly used over-processed, high in trans and saturated fats, high-preservatives, refried beans. We are preparing a healthier, tastier version! "Mexi-hummus".
This "Mexi-hummus" is the "MVP Star Ingredient" of this dish. Hummus is a creamy food derived from chickpeas (garbanzo bean) and is a staple in my home because of it's versatility and anti-inflammatory properties.
Combine in a bowl, 2 cups of room temperature plain hummus, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and the chili powder. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and dice up your two avocados in a separate bowl combined with 1/2 squeezed lime juice, pinch of salt and black pepper. It is noteworthy, to let you know just how much in love with cayenne pepper I am. Not only do I like it spicy. It is indeed a "MVP Star ingredient" as well due to the Capsaicin substance in the pepper.
This substance has been helping billions of people for billions of years for conditions such as:
Joint arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Muscle sprains and strains
Migraines
Shingles
Peripheral nerve pain
Warm up your canned and drained black beans over medium-heat in a sauce pan, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and lets get ready to build our tostada.
Place your corn tortillas in oven on Broil on a cookie sheet or directly on oven rack for 3-5 minutes (depending on your oven temperature). Remove from oven once you see slight browning. Spread 3-4 Tbsp of "Mexi-hummus" on the crispy tortilla, then top with remaining ingredients: black beans, pico de gallo, avocado spread, sprinkle of cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice.
You may add a few feta cheese crumbs or dollop of plain Greek yogurt (sour cream alternative and packed with probiotics). If you try this recipe, let us know here or here, by using #e15MinMeals & #PainFreedom. We can't wait to hear from you! Enjoy Bon Apetit!! ! If you want to try more recipes like this one grab your copy of the Best-seller, "EVERYBODY HAS 15 MINUTES: 15 Minute Meals to Your Pain Freedom"