Chicken & Black Bean Tostizzas

Never heard of a tostizza before? Don’t worry, neither had I, and it seems like Deborah over at Taste and Tell invented the term.  She combined two of her family's favorites – tostadas and pizzas – into one delicious concoction! One of my cooking goals is to make pizza dough from scratch, but before that happens, you may see some variations of these biscuit-based tostizzas in our menu rotation.

I was on track to get this meal on the table in 30 minutes, but unexpected disaster struck! As I tried to place the baking sheet in the oven, my inner-klutz came out, and I knocked the tray against the oven rack.  Oops!  The damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but there were some bean, cheese, and salsa casualties on the bottom of the oven.  Luckily I had some extra bean mixture, so I reconstructed the tostizzas and got back on track.  I was able to clean up most of the mess, but have tasked KK with a weekend chore – running the oven self-cleaner function.

An added bonus to this meal: we “customized” the tostizzas by leaving the chicken off half of them.  KK’s cousin was over for dinner, and she gave her stamp of approval on the veggie-friendly version of the tostizzas that we created for her!

While KK has some amazing perks at work (free breakfast, snacks, lunch, and gym membership), my company gives more vacation days.  Because wasting vacations days would be a crime, I’m off to Orlando on Friday! A few girlfriends and I are taking a much-needed long weekend which will hopefully be filled with sun, relaxation by the pool, and a few Disney park days!

Chicken & Black Bean Tostizzas

Adapted from Taste and Tell

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup diced chicken breast

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 can large refrigerated flaky biscuits (8 biscuits)

1/2 cup salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup red pepper, cut into strips

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream, for garnish

Guacamole, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. I a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken.

3. Meanwhile, flatten each biscuit with bare hands, and arrange on an ungreased baking sheet.

4. In a medium bowl, combine salsa, chicken, black beans, cumin, chili powder, and onions.  Mix well, and spread over the biscuits; try leaving a small crust free of toppings around the edges.  Top each biscuit with bell pepper strips and cheese.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden and the cheese is melted.  If desired, serve garnished with the sour cream and guacamole.