Dinner Together: Tiny tacos
All I can say is, hooray for Mollie Katzen.
She's the vegetable-loving author of the string of wildly successful Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks. Several years ago, she published a cookbook for preschoolers and up called Salad People, which I picked up recently at the library to inspire my picky 7-year-old daughter to try new foods.
Several of you have suggested getting the kids involved in choosing our meals, and I think it's a great idea. I've had Leah help me at the market before, but this time I gave her the book and told her to pick something for dinner.
Even though Leah really has a hard time trying new things, Katzen's whimsical drawings and kid-friendly step-by-step directions captivated her. She not only chose this recipe for tiny tacos, but wanted to make it herself.
The original recipe calls for packaged tortilla chips, but we made our own. It's very easy -- not to mention cheaper and more healthful. ...
(Read on for the recipe. ...)
(Photo by me)
You can always make a batch of just the chips to have on hand for the lunch box or after school.
These tiny tacos are billed as a snack (and they would be great for a party), but we made them a dinner. You can eat them open-faced as in the photo (which makes them more like tiny tostadas), or put another chip on top to complete the shell. You can also add leftover meat, veggies or any other fixings you like; we happened to have some grilled flank steak on hand, which made a tasty addition.
For Leah, these were almost as successful as the Linguine with Tuna from several weeks ago. Assembling the tacos gave her pride of ownership, so she didn't fuss about trying the salsa, guacamole and refried beans that she has never wanted to eat before. And she even ate some edamame on the side without complaining.
Tiny Tacos
Makes 2 dozen tacos with 2 chips each, or 4 dozen open-faced
(Enough for a family of 4)
For the chips:
12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
Cooking spray
For the tacos:
One 15-ounce can refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1 cup fresh salsa
1/3 pound jack cheese, grated
To make the chips, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then lay the tortilla quarters flat on top and spray them lightly. Bake for 6-10 minutes until chips are golden-brown and crisp. Watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn. Cool on a wire rack.
To assemble tacos: Scoop the beans into a microwave-safe bowl, stir, and warm slightly in the microwave. Lay the cooled chips on a plate. Spoon a small amount of beans on each chip, then spoon on dabs of guacamole and salsa. Sprinkle on cheese. Eat open-faced, or add chips on top to make “sandwiches.”
--Adapted from Salad People by Mollie Katzen
Per serving (12 open-faced tacos or 6 sandwich tacos): 517 calories, 20 grams protein, 23 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fat, 60 grams carbohydrate, 14 grams fiber, 42 milligrams cholesterol, 1,278 milligrams sodium
Comments
You, I got a quesadilla maker for Christmas a couple years ago and my kids love when I make those! Cheese, meat, veggies all melted together so it is easy to eat! nice alternative to tacoo's for the little ones who have trouble keeping everythijng inside the shell.
Posted by: Christine the ram :) | April 9, 2008 9:17 AM
Yay! Glad to see you daughter liked it! Mollie Katzen is one of my favorite cookbook authors - she is so accessible and down to earth, but really creative. I am probably biased, because her Moosewood Cookbook was the first cookbook I ever bought when I began cooking. She also has another kids cookbook, with the same picture format, titled Honest Pretzels. It is for ages 8 and up.
Posted by: Annelies | April 10, 2008 9:31 AM