Thursday, November 22, 2012

Super-Easy Vegetarian Mexican Pizza

Four days of non-stop cooking and Thanksgiving celebrations this week felt like one long, raucous meal with friends and family, a revolving potluck that bounced from house to house. We made our favorite dishes and started some new traditions. And at the end of it, we are exhausted

But then tonight dinnertime rolled around as usual. As expected, we were so hungry again and actually have very few leftovers -- just a few pieces of asparagus, some pecan pie, and the slight, sad end of Sweet Potato Piccata.  This fast-food inspired meal is the perfect thing when assembling -- there's no way something this easy can be called cooking!

Super-Easy Vegetarian Mexican Pizza

2 10-inch whole wheat tortillas
1 tablespoon canola oil (like Whole Foods 365 brand)

1 can refried pinto beans (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
2 large Haas avocados
1/2 lime
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/4 cup sliced picked jalapeƱos
Hot sauce of your choice


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of each tortilla with the canola oil. Place on a large baking sheet so they don't overlap. Cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. 

Spread about 1/2 cup of the refried pinto beans on each of the crispy tortillas; you will use more than half the can. Reserve the remainder for another use. Now, sprinkle the cheese on one of the bean-covered tortillas. Return them to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the beans are warmed through. 

Make a simple guacamole by combining the flesh of the avocado and the lime juice in a medium bowl and mashing it with a fork until there are no large chunks left. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to use.

Stack the bean-covered tortilla onto the bean-and-cheese-covered tortilla. Top that with all of the simple guacamole, cabbage, tomato, chives, pickled jalapeƱo, and hot sauce. Chop it into quarters and serve.