- 3teaspoons canola, avocado or coconut oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2tablespoon chili powder (I use less, as my youngest does not love spicy)
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles
- 1teaspoon sea salt
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
- 4 lg. corn tortillas
- 4cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1cup brown rice
- 1cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 2cups your favorite salsa
- 1cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 avocado
- 1/2cup chopped onion
- Hot sauce and sliced jalapeño peppers, optional
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil (1 teaspoon) and salt tortillas; drape over an inverted small oven-proof bowl (like a cereal bowl). Place bowls on a baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes until crispy. Remove to individual serving plates.
- Prepare rice according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.
- While tortillas bake, heat 2 teaspoons of oil a large sauce pan. Add the garlic and chili powder sautéing constantly until garlic is golden but not browned about 1 minute. Add pinto beans and next 4 ingredients (through vegetable broth). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until bean mixture thickens.
- While the bean mixture simmers, assemble romaine evenly among the corn tortilla. Place condiments and rice on table.
- When bean mixture is done, bring to table and allow everyone to build their own Chulupa bowl according to their preferences; i.e. spoon some lettuce, then rice, followed by the bean mixture and whatever toppings your heart desires.
You could also add a cup or two of diced tomatoes (or Pomi diced tomatoes) to the bean mixture for additional flavor.
The true Mexican Chulupa dish calls for deep frying a thin layer of masa that has been pressed around a small mold. I am not a big fan of deep frying, as it is not healthy, as well as it is messy. My solution was to come up with a baked version we can all easily prepare in our American kitchens, but you could also use taco salad shells to save even more time. These are still fried, but if you are in a pinch and your family prefers them, by all means make the substitution!
I personally eat the dish without the corn tortilla, adding some extra rice instead. This would be a great option to keep it low-carb.
I prefer to make my own salsa. It’s worth the extra 10 minutes. If you’d like to give it a try here is my quick version:
Mix all the following ingredients together- 2 tomatoes, diced; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; ½ teaspoon sea salt; juice of 1 fresh lime; ¼- ½ jalapeno- minced (seeds removed)- optional
For the original pork chalupa slow cooker version, go to “Slow Cooker Recipes” on The Whole Meal website.
