Six Tasty Tostado Dinners For Under 200 Calories
May 15, 2015
I love a Mexican meal with corn tortillas. Fold your hard or soft shell and you’ve got a taco. Keep the tortilla flat and crispy and it is a tostada. The common tostada has beans, shredded chicken or beef or pork, lettuce, cheese and a pico de gallo on it. A filling but light meal. But you don’t need to stop there! Cooking Light recently published an article, Trim and Tasty Tostadas, featuring several different varieties of tostadas, that are ready in a snap. All under 200 calories. Even if you want 2, it is still a low calorie meal.
All tostadas start with a crisp flat tortilla. You can fry them in a little bit of grease or bake them in the oven (better for you). If you use the whole-grain corn tortillas, you will save on calories. Once you have your canvas, you can start piling on the toppings:
- For your take on a fish taco, use 2 ounces pan-seared tilapia, ¼ cup sliced avocado, 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro and 2 small radishes, thinly sliced. This tostado is only 182 calories.
- A tangy pork and mango uses 2 ounces grilled pork tenderloin (shredded), 1/3 cup diced ripe mango and 2 tablespoons salsa verde. Salsa verde is made with green tomatillos, green chiles, cilantro, onion and spices. Only 187 calories for this one!
- A crunchy shrimp tostada is made with 3 ounces grilled shrimp, ½ cup shredded red cabbage and 1 tablespoon Mexican crema. And it’s only 187 calories. Mexican crema is made with sour cream or buttermilk and heavy cream and salt. It is a little more sour than regular sour cream and serves 2 functions – adds flavor to the dish and also is a neutralizer for heat found in Mexican cooking. If you are serving a Mexican meal to some who don’t like a lot of heat, add some Mexican crema to the table.
- At 166 calories, this corn and chicken one is my favorite. Two ounces of shredded skinless rotisserie chicken breast (think leftover chicken), ¼ cup pickled onions, ¼ cup sweet corn kernels and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice. The sour taste of the onions and sweetness of the corn pairs well together.
- Next is your all-American steak tostada. It features 2 ounces grilled flank steak, thinly sliced, ½ cup thinly sliced bell peppers and onion, sautéed in ½ teaspoon olive oil. This one comes in at 189 calories.
- Finally, try this “breakfast” tostada for only 180 calories. One fried egg topped with 2 tablespoons chipotle salsa, 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese and 1 ½ teaspoons thinly sliced green onions. You can fry the egg as soft or hard as you want depending on your taste for runny yoke.
You can find more great tostada recipes here or open your refrigerator, pull out 3 to 4 items you think go together and make your own!
Image Sources: MyRecipes.com
