Carne Asada Tostadas

I received flank steak mentioned in this post at no cost. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by The Beef Checkoff and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Perfect for summer, these tostadas are piled high with grilled carne asada, refried beans, and guacamole with a refreshing jicama cabbage slaw.  A light, healthy, and delicious dinner!

There’s nothing I love more than Mexican food, and when I think of Mexican food, I think of Carne Asada.  It’s wonderful in burritos, nachos, and tacos, and I’ve eaten more of it than I’d like to admit.  Now that I live nowhere near a decent taco shop, I have to make it myself, and luckily its not difficult at all!

Carne Asada is essentially grilled flank steak that has been marinated or seasoned.  I love flank steak because it is a lean meat, and is full of protein.  I came up with this recipe as part of the Beef Checkoff recipe contest from Recipe ReDux, and I was so excited when I learned it was featuring lean beef!  I love any excuse to have steak for dinner. 🙂 I am all for making lean beef a regular part of my diet.  Just one 3 ounce serving of lean beef has 25 grams of protein and 10 essential nutrients (and only 6 grams of fat!).  A huge benefit of eating high quality protein for me is that it helps me to feel full longer (so I can avoid gaining a bazillion pounds while I make all this yummy food!).  Our bodies need protein at each meal, so I try to make sure I have a good protein source worked into every meal.  The protein that comes from beef is a complete protein, containing all the amino acids (protein building blocks) that our bodies need.  Conversely, plant proteins, like those found in beans, are incomplete.  They need to be paired with another food that has the missing amino acids to be complete.  So I say “let them eat steak!”.  Or something like that. 🙂

Here’s how I made these amazing tostadas: I whipped up a simple marinade, and marinated the flank steak overnight.  I made the jicama cabbage slaw and guacamole, and when it was time to eat, I threw the flank steak on the grill for a few minutes on each side, crisped up the tortillas, and they were done!  Such a delicious way to get high quality protein for dinner.  Serve them with this simple guacamole, you will be so glad you did!

Table of Contents

Carne Asada Tostadas

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: 
  •  Prep Time: 1 hour
  •  Cook Time: 20 mins
  •  Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  •  Yield: 4 tostadas 1x

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds flank steak
  • Marinade:
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup lemon or lime juice (or a combination of the two)
  • 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 T chili powder
  • 1 T cumin
  • 1 T black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • a few dashes of hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Jicama Cabbage Slaw
  • 3/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 small red cabbage, chopped
  • 2 cups jicama, cut into matchsticks
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Tostada Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 Whole wheat tortillas
  • Guacamole (link above)
  • Refried beans
  • Shredded Cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Start with the marinade 24 hours before you plan to eat. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together. Reserve 3/4 cup marinade for later. Pour the rest of the marinade in a plastic zip top bag with the flank steak , making sure the steak is well coated, and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to grill. To make the jicama cabbage slaw, whisk together the yogurt, lime juice and zest, garlic, green chiles, and cilantro. Put the chopped cabbage, jicama, and red onion in a large bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Make the guacamole. Heat the grill on medium-high, and pour the canola oil in a small skillet. Put the flank steak on the grill, discarding the zip top bag containing the used marinade. Grill the steak about 5 minutes on each side for medium rare steak. When the steak is finished cooking, allow it to rest a few minutes before slicing it across the grain. Use extra marinade to pour on top of cooked meat. Once the canola oil is hot*, put a tortilla in the skillet and allow it to cook for about a minute, until brown. Flip it over to cook for about a minute on the other side, until brown and crispy. Put it on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil, and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Now it’s time to build the tostadas! Start with a crispy tortilla, put 1/2 cup refried beans, 1/4 of the carne asada, 3/4 cup slaw, and top with guacamole. Enjoy!

Notes

*To test the oil, put a drop of water in the oil. If it sizzles, it’s ready. Cooking the tortillas before the oil is hot enough will make them soak up extra oil and be too greasy.

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