TINY Kitchen Baked Tacos

Anyone who knows me knows that I love, love, love Mexican food! It's my absolute favorite. So, as you can imagine, there is a fair amount of delicious TINY Kitchen Mexican food coming to the blog. But for now, we're starting with this favorite: Baked Tacos.

While all tacos are a lil' taste of heaven in my book, these Baked Tacos are where it's at. Combining all of your favorite taco ingredients and then baking them together allows the flavors to marry even more, giving you a tasty and satisfying meal. While many people think of Mexican food as generally unhealthy, I take our tacos to a whole new level of yumminess by only using lean protein and loading them up with fresh veggies - and using whole wheat tortillas - giving a healthy kick to this guilty pleasure. Also, I am a big fan of making my own taco seasoning instead of using pre-packaged seasoning that tends to be loaded with excess salt and chemicals. For that recipe, click here.

This recipe calls for cheese, but for all of my lactose-free or dairy-free friends out there, I highly recommend topping your tacos with one of the following options guaranteed for ooey-gooey deliciousness:

Lactose Free: Pepper Jack Yogurt Cheese from Trader Joe's
Totally Dairy Free: Daiya Pepper Jack or Cheddar Shreds

INGREDIENTS

1 lb lean ground turkey

6 - 8 Mission brand medium-size whole wheat taco tortillas (you can also make this with hard shell corn tortillas)

2 cups cheese of your choice (I recommend colby jack, pepper jack or sharp cheddar)

3/4 cup salsa of your choice

1/2 cup diced tomato

1/2 cup bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion (green is another great option)

1 avocado, sliced

TINY Kitchen taco seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Brown turkey in a large skillet over medium heat
As turkey is cooking, add your taco seasoning
Add 1/2 cup salsa directly to turkey mixture, stir to mix into meat
Once turkey is no longer pink, turn heat to low, cover and simmer (NOTE: if the turkey begins to dry at all, add some chicken broth to keep it moist)
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
While turkey cooks and oven heats up, chop up your veggies
Arrange tortillas In a baking dish, side by side forming the shape of a stand-up taco with each soft shell
Spoon the turkey into the shells
Add your fresh veggies, setting aside 6 slices of avocado
Sprinkle your grated cheese mixture on top of each taco
Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is thoroughly melted. NOTE: Keep an eye on the tortillas - they may crisp and brown, which is great, but don't let the edges burn
Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes
Top each taco with one slice of avocado and a spoonful of salsa, serve