tostada and taco "sliders"

i was making enchiladas for cinco de mayo {that recipe this week} when i opened one of the packages of corn tortillas and they were completely falling apart.. totally unusable for enchiladas, but i didn't want to waste them entirely, so i grabbed pete's grandma's old biscuit cutter, ya know the pretty one with scalloped edges and cut out a circle from each tortilla, basically from the part that wasn't falling apart, i quick fried them {which you don't have to do had i thought it through i would have sprayed them with pam and baked in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so} and made tostada sliders and taco sliders.. they were so cute and fun but most importantly soo good!!

tostada and taco sliders

prep time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 1/2 an hour
servings: 12 tostadas or tacos {if you buy the larger corn tortillas you might 2 from each}

ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef {or ground turkey} * i used left over enchilada meat*
1 tblsp. red enchilada sauce
1 small can of green chilis
grapeseed oil
12 corn tortillas

toppings:

onion, chopped tiny
sliced lettuce
tomato, chopped small
grated cheddar cheese
grated pepper jack cheese
cilantro, chopped small
sour cream
jalapenos

other options:
creamy refried beans, diced avocado, guacamole, etc.

directions:

meat:

in a medium saute pan over medium heat brown the ground meat until no longer pink and is crumbly.. add enchilada sauce and green chilis and thoroughly combine.. turn heat to simmer and allow to cook another 10 minutes so that the flavors can meld..

for the tostadas:

take about a 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil.. heat on high in an iron skillet.. when oil is very hot gently put your tortilla in and cook flat for about a minute then using metal tongs flip over and cook on the other side.. pay attention as they cook quick and you don't want them to burn.. remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate... {alternatively you could cook the tostadas in a 400 degree {f} oven.. place them on a lined baking sheet spray with pam cook about 5 minutes then flip over and cook another 5 minutes..}

for the tacos:  take about a 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil.. heat on high in an iron skillet.. when oil is very hot gently put your tortilla in then using tongs fold one side over making the taco shell.. turning over several times to make sure both sides get cooked.. cook until the desired crispness.. remove oil and place on a paper towel lined plate..

assembly:

take either your tostada or taco shell add meat, cheese and whatever toppings you would like.. they were so good and easy to eat and would make a great little appetizer for a cinco de mayo party..

enjoy and get cook'n!!