These mini taco salads, or tacito salads are the cheekiest little appetizer bites. They are naturally gluten-free and vegetarian and loaded with sharp cheddar cheese and fresh veggies. I’m sharing them today for Salad Month and the Recipe Redux.

Earlier this month I went to Dallas for the weekend to see my cousin Taylor get married.

My husband and I left the girls back in Vermont, and flew down on a Thursday night. We met up with more family there and spent the weekend eating, relaxing and enjoying the sites.

We had a great time, and we ate so much amazing Tex Mex and Mexican food.

We had breakfast tacos and migas.

At dinner there may or may not have been tequila with chapulines salt/gusano salt. Eww/Yum!

One of the highlights was touring the Dallas Arboritum. There were a thousand graduates, brides and 16 year old girls there to have their photos taken. I have never seen so many quinceanera dresses in my life!

Jase and I attempted to reenact an embrace depicted in one of the sculptures and I almost pulled my hamstring.

We hit the Dallas Farmers’ Market too. Lots of fun food!! {Fist pump for all the Vermont cheese there!}

All in all it was a great trip and I once again have Mexican food on my mind.

On the 22nd of every month I participate in the Recipe Redux. Which is a cooking challenge for healthy bloggers and Registered Dietitians. This month for the Recipe Redux, we were challenged to make a tapas recipe. Since I am sharing salads only this month for Salad Month, I was really stumped for ideas of salads that are also single bite appetizers. But then I got it!! Mini Taco Salads! Tacito Salads if you will. They are super tasty and make such a fun appetizer for this summer or football snack this fall.

COOKS NOTES: I made the taco shells from scratch with Maria and Ricardo tortillas and oil by baking them in mini muffin tins. It took a while to figure out how to make them work. I ended up microwaving the tortilla rounds to soften them a bit. The tortillas needed to be quite warm in order to stay down in the muffin tins. Otherwise they would pop out. In case you don’t have mini muffin tins, or you want to save time, Tostito scoops would work great too.

tacito salads ~ mini taco salad appetizer bites

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 36 1x

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Description

These mini taco salads, or tacito salads are the cheekiest little appetizer bites. They are naturally gluten-free and vegetarian and loaded with sharp cheddar cheese and fresh veggies.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 18 6-inch corn tortillas (see ingredient note)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon avocado oil or organic canola oil
• 1 cup finely chopped romaine lettuce
• 4 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar
• ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup creamy dressing such as yogurt cumin seed dressing or light italian
• ½ avocado diced
• ¼ cup sliced black olives
• ¼ cup toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Cut tortillas into 36 2-inch rounds with a sharp biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Place on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 15 to 25 seconds until warm and very pliable. Brush oil over the tortilla rounds. Press 24 tortilla rounds into the muffin tins, oiled side up. Bake until crispy, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining 12 tortilla rounds. (Alternatively, substitute purchased tortilla scoops)
3. Combine romaine, cheddar, tomatoes and cilantro in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide the salad among the taco cups. Garnish with avocado, olives and pepitas. Serve immediately.

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Notes

Ingredient note: Save time and substitute purchased tortilla scoops instead.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 bites
• Calories: 144
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 329 mg
• Fat: 8 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 4 g