Tiny Taco Salad

Taco salads are delicious, but generally gigantic and rarely veggie.  These mini versions offer a more reasonable, and flexible, option.  They could be a first course to an elaborate meal or just a fun new twist on a causal taco night!

Ingredients

Taco Bowls
2 cups Flour
1 cup water (give or take)
2 Tbs Flax seeds, ground (optional)
1 Tbs Pumpkin seed powder (optional)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 tsp Salt

Filling
Veggie crumbles - 12 ounces
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup bell peppers, minced
1/4 cup onion, minced
Taco seasoning (store bought or see below)

Taco Seasoning
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp pepper

Toppings
Lettuce
Onion
Tomato
Cheese
Salsa
Guacamole
Greek yogurt
(and/or anything else that sounds good!)

Tools
Tortilla maker (or tortilla press and skillet)
Mixer (optional, you can mix by hand)
Muffin or popover pan
Measuring cups/spoons
Mixing bowls
Knife/Cutting board
Piece of non-linty cloth

Making your own tortillas will make it easy to form them into bowls...

• In a large mixing bowl, combine dry dough ingredients
• Slowly mix in water until consistency is soft, but not sticky
• Turn out dough on floured surface and knead until smooth
• Form ball
• Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes
• Break into 10 - 12 pieces
• Roll into 3" balls
• Cover with damp cloth for 10 minutes

Place each ball of dough in the tortilla maker and press just until lightly cooked (for me, this was 20 - 30 seconds).  This will keep the tortillas soft enough to shape and less likely to overcook in the oven.

Fold the tortillas into a popover or muffin pan.  Press down on the bottom to make sure you will have enough of a flat surface for the shell to stand up. 

Bake at 325^oF for 10 - 15 minutes.
Check after 10 minutes.  You want the shells to harden, but not to brown too much.

I used veggies crumbles, but the directions would be the same for ground meat...

• Heat 1 Tbs olive oil with 3 cloves garlic over medium heat
• Add diced peppers and onions
• Mix in taco seasoning

Dice up your favorite veggies and shred some cheddar or jack cheese...

Fill the bottom of the shell with meat or "meat" and layer on the rest of your toppings.

Try a scoop of Greek yogurt on top instead of sour cream!