A simple, flavorful feast for your brain and belly. Kimchi, black beans, CBD and lion’s mane mushrooms meet in this vegan tostada recipe.
When I first started travelling in order to expand my knowledge of food, I went to America and was particularly impressed by the South American influences. Tamales, tostadas and quesadillas were new words to me and I was excited to explore what was possible; I was blown away by their high energy and lively flavours. This energy is totally in line with the Mind Food ethos. Here, I wanted to do a take on tostadas with brain boosting black beans, a tangy dressing laced with pomegranate and CBD, all with a crunchy kimchi base.
Kimchi and Black Bean Tostadas
Delicious and brain-boosting black bean and kimchi tostadas.
For the tostada
- 3½ oz chickpea flour
- ½ cup kimchi, finely chopped and drained
- 5½ oz buckwheat flour
- ½ cup olive oil
For th CBD slaw
- 2 cups grated roots (parsnips or carrots)
For the CBD dressing
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp olive or hemp oil
- ½ tbsp lion's mane mushroom powder
- pipette CBD
For the black beans
- 14 oz (1 can) black beans, drained
- Zest and juice of one lime
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 avocado halved, pitted and cubed
- ¾ oz cilantro, chopped
For the buttered corn
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- ¼ cup sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
To serve
- sprouts or leaves to garnish
For the tostadas
In a glass bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour with 50ml(scant 1/4 cup) of water until smooth and leave to ferment overnight.This step is not essential, but makes the batter more exciting
For the CBD Slaw
Pour the dressing over the grated roots and set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish.
For the black beans
S Drain the black beans, then place them in a bowl with the lime juice, zest and salt and stir. Then add the avocado and coriander and lightly crush everything with a fork.
For the tostadas
When the chickpea batter is fermented, fold in the kimchi, without the brine, and add the buckwheat flour. The buckwheat flour will bind the dough together into a firmer dough that is easy to roll out and work with. If the dough is sticky add more buckwheat flour until you have something the consistency of pastry dough.
Flour a clean work surface and roll the dough out to 2mm (1/8in) thick and then use a pastry cutter to create 7–10cm (3–4in) rounds. Repeat until you have the number of tostadas you need. The remaining dough can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
Heat a large frying pan with half of the olive oil and add the rolled tostadas, making sure to spread it into little round pancake shapes. Fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden, then repeat with the batter and oil until the batter is used up
For the buttered corn
Heat a small frying pan and melt the butter. Add the corn and fry with the salt and chilli until golden –about 3–4 minutes.Remove from the heat and prepare to serve.
Once cooked, place the crispy tostadas onto your plate and top with black beans, buttered corn and CBD slaw, then finish with a squeeze of lime and some sprouts or leaves to garnish.
Reprinted with permission from Mind Food : Plant-Based Recipes for Positive Mental Health, Lauren Lovatt (2022, Leaping Hare Press)