Carrot Tinga Tostadas with Lentil Hummus

My first Mexican dish on the blog. Gasp! Well, that is if we don’t count the Mexican Snack I posted when I first arrived. Of course, the recipe today is a lightened up (vegan) version of the Mexican original. Chicken tinga is a relatively popular dish here in Mexico, and one of my favorite restaurants in Oaxaca serves a vegetarian version using carrots instead of chicken. I had to try my hand at this dish, and I must say that it came out pretty delicious. This dish is gluten free and vegan (if you exclude the sour cream and cheese toppings and use avocado instead).

If you want to act like a true Mexican, you should eat these tostadas with your hands, and you try not get food all over your face (I failed at this portion of the task).

Carrot Tinga Tostadas with Lentil Hummus
Makes 6 tostadas.

6 taco sized corn tortillas

Lentil Hummus
2 cups cooked brown lentils (a little less than 1 cup uncooked)
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice of 1 large lime
¼ teaspoon salt

Carrot Tinga
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup sliced onions
2 large garlic cloves
2 cups carrot ribbons
1 cup tomato basil sauce (little to no sugar added)
salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly: ½ tablespoon light sour cream, crumbled queso fresco or goat cheese, or slices of avocado (vegan option)

1. Tostadas: Start by toasting the tortillas on a large cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes, or until the edges curl up and the tortillas are golden brown.
2. Lentils: While tortillas are toasting, boil lentils according to packages directions. When soft, drain and set aside.
3. Carrot Tinga: While lentils are cooking, add olive oil, onions, and garlic cloves to a skillet and cook on medium heat until translucent. Add carrot ribbons and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat until carrots are cooked through. Add water if necessary so tomato sauce does not burn. When completely cooked, add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Lentil Hummus: While the tinga is cooking, add all the lentil hummus ingredients to a food processor and process until completely smooth. You may need to add a touch more water to continue mixing.
5. Assembly: Spread about 1 tablespoon lentil hummus on a tostada, top with two spoonfuls of carrot tinga, and add light sour cream, crumble goat cheese, or avocado slices as a topping.

Notes: You will have some leftover lentil hummus, but is great with carrots, crackers, or spread on a sandwich.

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I wanted to give another update on how my October fitness intentions are going. I have been staying pretty consistent with my morning yoga, although I have missed a few days due to my schedule not allowing enough time. The days that I haven’t been able to do my morning yoga, I have felt much stiffer and tired in the morning. My morning yoga has slightly impacted my motivation to do afternoon yoga, especially when I come home tired and just want to take a nap. On those days I sort of fall back on the fact that I at least did 30 minutes in the morning. I am going to make a concerted effort this week to get in at least two (but hopefully three) days of afternoon yoga practice.

Here’s a little update on my progress for Tone It Up #100byHalloween. I am well on my way to getting to 100 miles by the end of the week, which would be days before Halloween! I thought it would be hard to rack up the miles, since I don’t do steady state cardio, but my walking has definitely made up for it.

Total from weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4: 88.91 miles (only ~11 miles away from my goal!)