In honor of Cinco de Mayo my neighbor hosted an amazing party and asked me to assist her with the planning by bringing some of my delicious homemade Mexican dishes. I don’t know the history behind Cinco de Mayo, but I do know it’s a great excuse to eat some tasty Mexican food and Salud with Margaritas! The party featured my signature Guacamole Recipe, a tasty taco bar with a selection of chipotle chicken, grilled shrimp, ground turkey, chorizo and all the toppings you could ever need. I also made my Jalepeno Deviled Eggs, garnished with spicy chorizo. The highlight of the table were my Miniature Taco Salads, topped with some guacamole, crema and a slice of radish.
Bite sized portions are so important when entertaining. You want to give your guests a chance to eat, but also not have them bogged down with a full plate while mingling. My mini taco salads were easy to make and are a colorful addition to your food spread for any occasion. I made the taco shells with a muffin tin and spiced up the ground turkey with my own taco seasoning blend.
- 1 1/4 Tbsp Chilli powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
- 30 Corn Tortillas
- 2 lb Ground turkey - or beef
- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheese - use your favorite
- 1/2 head Iceberg Lettuce - shredded
- 1 1/2 cup Salsa
- 1 1/2 cup Guacamole
- 1 cup Crema - or use sour cream with a little lime juice
- Radish & Queso Fresco - for garnish
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut 5 - 1 inch slits equal distance around into your tortilla. Place them into your muffin pans by folding them in with the slits to create little cups. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes until them are golden brown.
- Cook the ground turkey meat in a large skillet over medium heat until it is no longer pink. When cooked, drain the fat from the pan, add all the seasoning mix ingredients and 1/4 cup of water. Stir well and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Put a large pinch of lettuce in the bottom of the your shell cups. Top with the turkey meat, sprinkle with cheese. Then add 1 teaspoon of salsa and guacamole and drizzle with the crema. Garish with the queso fresco and fresh radishes!
My taco seasoning mix is for 2 pounds of ground turkey, if you are using ground beef I would use less salt.
If you have an empty squirt (squeeze) bottle, fill it with your crema and use that to drizzle it over the taco salad.