Corn and Queso Chicken Tostadas

We eat a lot of tacos. They're easy to make, inexpensive and generally quite delicious. So when I had the option to choose a Summer Vegetable and Queso Tostada meal from Blue Apron a few days ago, I went for it—knowing I'd have to modify the recipe just a bit to fit our taste buds.

Let me explain.

When you order from Blue Apron, they automatically select a set number of meals for you. You can switch them out. However, your options are very limited and some meals can't be ordered together. I'm guessing they maximize space in their shipping containers AND do what they can to prevent food waste, which means sending out recipes that cross over ingredients.

So I picked the tostada recipe knowing it wouldn't be one of our favorites.

One word: Eggplant.
We hate it.

But the rest of the ingredients in the recipe sounded marvelous.

Peppers, corn, onions, garlic and cheese, which would ultimately get fried. I mean, yes. So I decided right off the bat that I would swap out the eggplant for chicken.

Their eggplant tostadas became my Corn and Queso Chicken Tostadas.

You guys.
OMG.

I want more right now. Here's the recipe, which makes enough to serve two hefty portions.

CORN AND QUESO CHICKEN TOSTADAS
Source: Inspired by a recipe from Blue Apron

Ingredients
• 4 Tortillas
• 1/2 Cup Queso Para Freír (cubed)
• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
• 2 Chicken Breasts (seasoned with taco spices)
• 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Corn
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Green Onion
• 2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
• 1 Lime
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
• Avocado (chopped)
• Cotija Cheese (grated)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions
1) Season the chicken with your favorite taco spices. I like to use the pre-mixed taco seasoning from Trader Joe's. (It's bomb. There are literally ten bags in my spice cupboard.) Bake the chicken in the oven until it's done, then chop it up into bite-sized pieces:


2) While the chicken is cooking, zest about 2 teaspoons of the lime peel, then slice the lime in half.

3) Chop the pepper and green onions, then sauté them both in a pan with the corn and minced garlic until everything is soft. Add a squirt or two of fresh lime juice and some salt and pepper to taste.

4) Remove the veggies from the pan, then add the Queso Para Freir to the pan, which is basically Mexican white cheese that fries up nicely. It'll stay chunky, so if it starts to melt, you'll want to remove it. But try to leave it on long enough to brown a side or two.

5) Stir the lime zest into the sour cream. At this point, all of your ingredients are ready to be assembled! (Assuming your chicken is done, of course.)

6) Final step, totally optional: Heat up your tortilla shells. Throw them in the oven for a bit if it's still on, or use a burner on your stove—just be careful with that last option, let's not start a fire, m'kay?

To plate:

Start with the shell, add the veggies, then the chicken and cheese. Top with the avocado, sour cream and cilantro.  Yum:

It's so good, and not so complicated to make. Also, totally adaptable. Maybe you like eggplant! Use it! Maybe you hate meat, then try beans! Experiment with different veggie options, too. The cheese, though? Oh my. It was so good! Try to make it happen. If you can't find this kind of cheese, perhaps a bit of Manchego cheese will work? Or some white cheddar that's barely heated?

Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it.

Question: Do you like eggplant? We think it's really slimy and flavorless. Am I making it wrong?