There’s no real magic to making taco salad, and yet it’s something I forget to do.  By that I mean, there is a brand (I think it’s Azteca) that sells taco salad shells flat in a box in the refrigerated section of the grocery, you take them home and fry them and they are closest to what you get at a restaurant.

I couldn’t find those this weekend at THREE grocery stores.  Pitiful.

So we bought another brand of a product called “tostada shells” which were the consistency of cheap taco shells (thick, rough and a little seedy) and you bake them a couple of minutes.  They held the food but weren’t delicious.

Lil Bit opted for the Old El Paso Soft Tortilla Taco Boat, which is smaller and holds less food.

Here’s what I put in mine:  black beans, Mexicorn, shredded chicken cooked in taco seasoning, lettuce, sliced purple onion, sliced black olives, sliced jalapenos, shredded cheddar, tomatoes.  For dressing I combined 2 parts salsa with 1 part Ranch dressing, and stir in a bit of chopped fresh cilantro and a teaspoon of lime juice.  Very tasty!!