Filed under: Recipes > Light Meals & Snacks
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Tags: comfort_food, bean, Mexican, spicy, tortilla, peppers
Doubledecker Vegan Tostadas with Refried Black Beans
![Pin it](http://assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pinit_fg_en_rect_gray_20.png)
I struggled a bit with what I should call this. It's something like a quesadilla, but with spicy refried black beans instead of cheese. It also resembles a tostada because it features corn tortillas deliciously pan-fried in oil. But unlike tostadas, it has a second tortilla on top. So it's a “doubledecker vegan tostada” for want of a better name. What is not in doubt is my love for them. When corn tortillas get a few days old, their texture becomes a little rubbery. The solution is to fry them up. And it's a very good solution.
Ingredients
canola oil
1 red onion
1 white onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
dash red wine vinegar
8 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups refried black beans
tomato salsa and other condiments as desired
Directions
You can buy the tortillas and refried beans or make your own. I usually make these tostadas with the leftovers from tacos. If I'm feeling ambitious on taco day, I make fresh corn tortillas and chipotle refried black beans from scratch.
With the beans and tortillas squared away, the only other prep job is sauteeing the onions and peppers.
![onions and peppers](tostadas1_t.jpg)
To get the peppers ready, I'm going to show you a little trick I learned from Gordon Ramsay.
First, cut the stem off the pepper.
![Removing the stem from a red pepper](tostadas2_t.jpg)
Next, lay the pepper on the cutting board on its head.
![Pepper on the cutting board](tostadas3_t.jpg)
Take a sharp knife and slowly work from top to bottom on one of the pepper's lobes. It's a little like peeling an apple.
![cutting off a section of the pepper](tostadas4_t.jpg)
Repeat for all of the lobes and you've got all the flesh.
![sections of pepper](tostadas5_t.jpg)
All the seeds and ribs are left whole and are easily tossed.
![seeds and ribs of the pepper](tostadas6_t.jpg)
Slice up the pepper and cut the slices in half.
![slicing the pepper](tostadas7_t.jpg)
Slice up the other pepper, and slice the onions into similar sized pieces.
![onions and peppers ready for frying](tostadas8_t.jpg)
Heat a large, shallow frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 Tbl canola oil and carefully add the onions and peppers. There should be sizzle.
![adding onions and peppers to frying pan](tostadas9_t.jpg)
Saute for a minute or so, then add sugar and salt.
![sauteeing onions and peppers](tostadas10_t.jpg)
In the last minute or so, add a dash of red wine vinegar. Mix it in and continue cooking until it evaporates.
![adding red wine vinegar](tostadas11_t.jpg)
Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
![finished onions and peppers](tostadas12_t.jpg)
Get a fresh frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Add another 2 Tbl of canola oil. When hot, put one of the tortillas on to fry.
![tortilla in the frying pan](tostadas14_t.jpg)
Spread the refried black beans on the tortilla with a spoon.
![beans on the tortilla](tostadas15_t.jpg)
Spread onions and peppers on top of the beans.
![onions and peppers on the beans](tostadas16_t.jpg)
Put the second tortilla on top and allow to fry for a few minutes.
![second tortilla on top of tostada](tostadas17_t.jpg)
Carefully flip the tostada and let the other tortilla fry for a few minutes more, until the filling is piping hot.
![flipped tostada](tostadas18_t.jpg)
Serve with salsa, rice and extra veggies on the side. It's a little messy, so I eat it with a fork and knife.
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Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2015