Portable taco salads!! What could be better!

Step 1: Ingredients

First things first, gather together all of your taco favorites. For the shells, pick up small tortilla's. I use flour, but if you want whole wheat or something else, it's all good. I also have here lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, taco seasoning, and ground beef. Which I forgot to thaw. Oops.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 f.

Take the tortilla's out of the package, and place on a plate. Cover with a wet paper towel and nuke for 10 seconds at a time. You want to slightly warm the tortilla's, making them a little more pliable. Keep an eye on them, they can turn dry and yucky in a hurry.

Step 2: Making the Shells

Fold the tortilla 1/3 of the way up, as per picture. Roll into a cone, taking care to make sure there are no gaps in the bottom. Stick with toothpick to hold in position, and put into muffin tin to prop upwards. You could also lay these out on a baking tray, taking care to make sure the toothpicks are vertical to hold the opening in place. It's alright if they turn out a little oblong. It's actually less messy when you eat them that way! Stick them in your preheated oven, and set your timer for minutes.

*WARNING* All ovens are different. 15 minutes works beautifully in mine. You may want to check yours a little sooner. They're done when the tops are nice and brown, while the bottoms will stay white but still crispy.

Step 3: Prepping the Stuffing

Put your beef/ground turkey/pork/tofu/lentils/protein-of-your-choice in a skillet to brown. While it's browning, start chopping/shredding everything that needs to be chopped/shredded. Insert "knives are sharp don't cut yourself" warning here.

When your timer goes off, and your shells are done, pull them out. Remove the toothpicks, and set aside to cool.

Step 4: Protien

When beef is browned, drain off all the fat. Mix according to Taco Seasoning instructions. Or, alternatively, I have had great success with enough tomato sauce to moisten beef, and a few shots of your favorite hot sauce or chili flakes.

Step 5: Stuffing Time!

Grab one of your cooled shells, and stuff the bottom with lettuce. Be careful while stuffing, the shells at this point are brittle and you don't want to break them. Yet.

Top off with the rest of your ingredients in whatever order you like. I did beef, tomatoes, sour cream, then cheese.

And voila! Tiny Taco Salads!!