How is your summer going so far? We are having the most amazing weather here in Metro Vancouver and we have been taking advantage of the warm weather by having picnics and taking day trips. I just feel so fortunate to live in beautiful British Columbia where we have mountains, ocean, sandy beaches and so much greenery. Some of you may have seen my Insta stories (just to let you know I am not regularly active on Insta). We hiked to Joffre Lake and camped there for one night at Upper Joffre Lake (there are 3 lakes), went boating, packing delicious food to enjoy with family and friends.
Speaking of packing delicious food for picnics, today I am sharing with you a simple & fun recipe that you’ll love to eat on a sweltering hot day. If you are interested in seeing the recipe in action then watch this video on my YouTube Channel.
I take great pleasure in preparing easy to eat food for trips and picnics. Whether it is a lazy afternoon in the park or a beach picnic, or back country camping, I am always ready to pack up a cooler and spread my picnic blanket with an array of goodies. I made a batch of Black bean salad tostadas for our boating trip. They turned out to be popular, so I decided to bestow this recipe upon you! Their healthy flavors appeal to everyone and they are so easy to put together. No cooking, no recipe set in stone, just a few simple ingredients, and this easy black bean salad tostada recipe will quickly become a favorite.
Tostadas are a popular Mexican dish in which toppings are layered on a crunchy, crispy tortilla! Think of them as an open-faced crispy taco. Anything that you can put in a taco, you can pile up on a tostada. Tostadas are a perfect solution to any extra vegetables you have lying around, as well as tortillas going stale. They are usually topped with mashed refried beans, meat, vegetables, and salsa. But since I was preparing this for a group of friends, I went the straightforward way by preparing easy black bean salad and guacamole. It was easy and convenient to carry all the elements in a cooler, not to mention fun to assemble. The cold salad and guacamole are among staple recipes in our household for healthy eating on a hot summer day.
Even though the black bean salad is perfect for serving as a healthy side dish or satisfying meal. However, on top of tostada with guacamole, it delivers a satisfying and balanced marriage of flavors and textures.
Now that you have the general idea for making tostadas, make your own by grabbing your favorite toppings and have a blast making this quick and easy recipe for weeknight lunch or dinner! You can easily double and triple the recipe to feed a crowd. Enjoy!
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! Save it by pinning one of the images here to your Pinterest Board. And, if you do get a chance to make this Black Bean Salad Tostadas, be sure to tag me #simpleglutenfreekitchen. I am on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
A fun lunch option of black bean salad tostadas for a gathering, picnic, or even a barbecue.
Ingredients
- 8 regular size tostada shells
- The amounts for the Bean salad are guidelines, and can be varied according to taste.
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 large orange bell pepper, chopped
- 4-5 radish, chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 ear of corn, shucked, or 1/2 cup of defrosted frozen corn
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 cuke, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp crumbled paneer or feta
- 1 jalapeno, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 3/4 tsp Mexican chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3 medium avocados, sliced lengthwise, pitted and peeled
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tbsp chopped Jalapeno
- Optional garnishes: cheese, cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn kernels, orange bell pepper, tomatoes, lime zest, garlic, red onion, cuke, paneer, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, honey, salt, cumin, and Mexican chili powder.
- Pour dressing over beans and veggies, and mix well.
- In medium bowl, coarsely mash avocados, lime juice and salt with fork or potato masher.
- Add jalapeno.
- Spread guacamole on tostadas. This helps to hold any toppings.
- Add big spoonfuls of black bean salad. Garnish with extra cilantro or cheese if you like.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
If you want to make your own tostadas, you'll want to take small corn tortillas or stale chapatis and pan fry them on either side with oil until nice and crispy! The healthier option is to bake or air fry them.
When you are packing the Bean salad for picnic. Take vinaigrette separately and add before serving.
Pack guacamole in an airtight container and put everything in a cooler.
I am bringing this health, colorful and tasty black bean salad tostada to Angie’s Linky party, Fiesta Friday.
angiesrecipes
So colourful and inviting! Love the picture of you at the beach. You look happy and are glowing!
Carol
Just looking at the photos makes me want to bite into your tostada. It includes many flavors I like. Yum!.
Renu
Ah, we did not have a proper summer this time. Irish summers are many times this way :-(. Love this Tostado with black bean and guacamole. A very healthy idea for picnics.
Marcelle
These tostadas look so fresh and flavorful. Love the guacamole base for these, so delicious!! It sounds like you’ve had a wonderful summer, great pictures!! I hope to visit Canada one day. It looks so beautiful there 😊 Our summers are hot and dry, it’s the worst time of the year in Texas lol
Balvinder
Thank you Marcelle!
Whenever you visit Canada keep British Columbia top on the list. It is this province which is known for its breathtaking mountains, lush forests, and rugged coastline.
Stay cool!
marcela
What a beautiful salad!!…..I love the combination of color, flavors and texture!!….what a great idea for a picnic!!….I miss those turquoise color lakes!!……Abrazotes, Marcela
Pattie
I love all forms of Mexican food. These look delicious and beautiful. I am trying to meal plan (not always successful), and have put these on the schedule for next week.
rainbow evening
look pretty and tasty…. love Mexican foods.
Judee
what a great meal. Everything looks so delicious and fresh!