• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Easy guacamole

• Chop the red onion and tomato into fine pieces, mash the avocado, and combine the ingredients for the easy guacamole. Cover the guacamole and store it in the refrigerator until you need it.

Pinto beans

• Chop the onion, tomato,  jalapeño, and garlic for the pinto beans.
• Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Cook the onions and  jalapeños for 10 minutes then add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook the garlic and tomatoes for 5 minutes then add the beans.
• Add all of the rest of the ingredients for the beans. Then add 1/4 cup water and simmer the beans until you need them. If the pan dries out you can add more water.

Grilled veggies

• Chop the poblano peppers and onions into long, thin slices. Toss the veggies in oil, salt, and pepper.
• Cook the veggies for 20 - 25 minutes at 450 degrees on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Chalupa shells

• Pre-heat a pot over medium to medium high heat then add the vegetable oil to the pot. There should be at least 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in the bottom of the pot.
• Mix the ingredients for the masa dough.

  If the masa dough is too wet and it sticks to your hands when you try to shape it you can add more masa 1 tbsp at a time until the dough becomes easy to work with. If the masa dough is too dry and it crumbles when you try to shape it you can add more water 1/2 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together.
• Separate the dough into balls that are 2 - 3 inches in diameter and flatten the balls into thick tortillas. The tortillas should be around twice the thickness of standard corn tortillas.

  You can flatten the tortillas with a tortilla press or with a large flat object such as a cookbook or cutting board. You should line the dough with non-stick surfaces when you flatten the tortillas. One option is to place each ball of dough inside a gallon sized ziplock bag when you flatten it. You could also line all of the surfaces that will touch the dough with saran wrap instead.
• Fry the flat tortillas for about 30 seconds.

  The tortillas should be bonded enough that pieces do not fall off when you try to grab them with the tongs. They should also be soft enough that you can fold them and shape them without them snapping in half due to rigidity. You can try frying them for a little more or less time to see what works best for you.
• Use the tongs to create a bend in the chalupas. If you want to make a gentle bend you can just elevate one side of the chaupa about 2 inches off of the bottom of the pan. If you want to make a deep bend you will need to fold one side of the chalupa over the other.

  Hold the chalupa in place and let it cook for another 30 seconds. After this point it should be rigid enough to hold itself in place.
• Cook the chalupas for another 30 - 60 second per side or until they turn a light golden brown.