Easy Black Bean Tostadas

from Luz's DeColonial Cooking Club

OK! Let's build on the success of the chili beans and do another bean dish.

Black Bean Tostadas

2 cups dried black beans
1 onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic, diced

Spices
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. dark chocolate powder (I used dagoba brand, it is fancy and organic, you can use another kind if you can't find dagoba...they sell it at upscale markets and some fancy health food stores like whole foods)

Tostada shells (Guerrero or Los Pericos some other legit. Mexican brand, not taco bell!)

Toppings
2 cups finely sliced romaine lettuce (more nutritious than iceberg)
1 cup grated queso cotija (or other cheese)
1 tomato diced
2 avocados, sliced
Salsa (buy a good pre-made salsa from the store)
Organic sour cream (optional)

Saute onions and garlic in 2 TBSP olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add spices and stir for one minute.

Add to crock pot along with beans. Fill crock pot 1/2 full with water. Let cook all day. Check to make sure beans don't dry out. For the tostadas, you don't want the beans to come out too soupy so don't add TOO much water!

About ONE hour before you want to serve dinner. Turn OFF the crock pot and use a potato masher to mash the beans. Taste the beans for salt and add at least 2 tsp of salt, maybe more. The beans should not taste bland. If the beans are still a bit too soupy, let the beans set with the crock OFF for an hour. This will let them set up and get thicker (If they are already thick enough, you can skip this step).

To serve, smear beans on tostada and let everyone put the toppings that they like! YUM!