Monday, February 2, 2015

Tortilla Time



Quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, sandwich wraps, fresh chips, soup toppers – so many uses for tortillas.  You can even sprinkle them with some cinnamon and sugar and bake them into a crispy treat.  But have you ever looked at the ingredient listing on those store-bought tortillas?  Even the 100% whole wheat ones, which are presumably better for you?  Well, I saw a few recipes for homemade tortillas online, and knowing I had some in my fridge already, I came home and checked the info on the back….sure enough, about 15 ingredients, more than half of which I was clueless about.  These have 5.  That’s it –the store-bought ones went into the trash immediately.

One afternoon when I had some free time, I decided to give them a go.  The recipe said they took about 45 minutes start to finish, but come on…that couldn’t be right.  I’m glad to say it was.  Just a few ingredients tossed together and kneaded a few times, divided and rolled out into rounds, then fried in a dry pan for about 30 seconds on each side and donezo!  Seriously - that simple.  This recipe makes a dozen.  If you like them a little thicker, you can always cut it down to 9 or 10, or if you’re going for tacos, make them smaller and get up to 15-16….another bonus to making your own. 

Anyway, here’s the process and what I did with mine.  It included some making some fun cuudles (my word…think zucchini noodles (zoodles), but with cucumber!) with my new kitchen gadget, and obviously talking like Ned Flanders while cranking them out… cuudly doodly!  Don’t be jealous.  ;)

Roll out to about 9"
Fry in a dry pan
Cuudles!  Just ignore that weird flaccid cucumber core....
Ingredients

3 cups All-Purpose or White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup refined coconut oil, melted (or canola/olive oil)
1 cup warm water

Instructions
  1. Melt the coconut oil in a small pan and set aside.
  2. Add the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix completely. 
  3. Pour the water and melted oil over the flour mixture and stir gently until everything comes together in a ball.
  4. Knead the dough for about 30 seconds – 1 minute, then divide into even pieces.
  5. Roll each piece into a ball and cover to let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. After resting, roll each ball out to your desired thickness (these will only puff ever so slightly when you cook them).
  7. Cook each tortilla in a dry pan over medium-high heat for about 30-45 seconds on each side, just until some light brown bubbles start to form.
  8. Set aside on a plate, and stack them as each finishes cooking to keep them warm.
  9. Use immediately, or wrap them individually and store in the fridge for a few days, or the freezer for a few weeks.
Turkey Roll-Ups - I seasoned some cream cheese to use as the spread - yum!

Note – I have an alternative recipe that adds some chopped spinach to the flour mixture.  That version is mixed in the food processor for even distribution.  I’ll be trying those soon!

Recipe adapted from: Homemade Tortillas

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