Corn or flour tortillas can also be used in place of tostada shells. To warm them, cook in a nonstick skillet for 1 minute on each side.

Beef Tostadas
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 teaspoon Mexican or taco seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

3 teaspoons chipotle sauce

6 tostada shells

3 cups shredded lettuce

1 1/2 cups guacamole

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook beef and red pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the chili sauce, Mexican seasoning, salt and pepper; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and chipotle sauce. Layer each tostada with lettuce, meat mixture, guacamole, cheese and chipotle cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 460 calories, 30 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 75 mg cholesterol, 1,040 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 24 g protein.