Tomato and crab salsa taco bites, perfect for nibbles over the christmas period or as a main meal with my refried bean stuffed peppers.

This is a very easy recipe which tastes like you have been slaving away for hours.

Serves two people

Preparation 30 minutes, cooking 30-35 minutes

Ingredients and method

For the crab salsa taco bites:

1 packet of corn tacos – cut into squares slightly larger than the wholes on your muffin tray

1 red onion – finely diced

4 round tomatoes – finely diced

3 cloves garlic – finely chopped

1 red chilli – finely chopped

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaf

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaf

2 dessert spoons tomato ketchup

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil to brush the tacos

You require a Muffin or cupcake tray for this recipe

1. Make the salsa by combining the tomatoes, garlic, chilli, herbs, spices, ketchup, lime in a bowl. Mix well then season to taste. Cover and set aside.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C then start cutting the tacos into squares. These need to be slightly larger than the holes in the muffin tray. Experiment with one or two tacos to get the right size before cutting all your tacos – remember its easy to cut a little bit off if they are too large. See picture below for example.
3. Brush the muffin tray with a little oil then brush each of the cut tacos lightly. Push one taco into the muffin tray firmly then press it down into the mold. Place another taco square on top of it at a 45 degree angle (as shown below) so it forms a star shape in the mold. Firmly press the tacos together into the mold. Repeat for the rest of the taco shells.
4. Place them in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the tacos have crisped up then remove them from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
5. Once cooled spoon the salsa into the tacos and serve immediately.

 

 

For the stuffed Peppers

2 bell peppers – cut in half, remove white stalk and seeds.

1 tin of refried beans

1 small red onion – finely diced

1 red chilli – finely sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander

50g cheddar cheese – crumble/cut into small pieces

1. Start by halving the peppers, removing the seeds and inner white stalk. Retain the outer green stalk. Make sure when you cut them, you halve them in a way that both sit flat on the baking tray.
2. Spoon in the refried beans so they fill slightly more than 3/4 of the hollowed peppers.  Sprinkle some sliced chilli and diced onion on top then finish with some crumbled cheese.
3. Place in a preheated oven at 180°c and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheeses melts and bubbles
4. Remove from the oven and serve.