4725mag eats: low carb, high fiber and high flavor - tortillas you have to try and what you should put in 'em
Monday through Friday, what we eat is unfortunately a matter of sustenance and convenience. As many do, we balance careers with hobbies and a social life which can unfortunately make taking time to prepare nutritious meals for ourselves fall off the list of priorities.
Many a time, Amy's organic soups or chilis have come to our rescue. Not to mention delivery from our local Oakland favorites, including but not limited to Banana Blossom Thai, Caña Cuban Parlour, Lanesplitter pizza and Shaan Indian cuisine.
So at the weekend, when we have an additional precious 20 hours or so back to focus solely on ourselves, we adore luxuriating in the making of a good breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Picture the scene - it's Saturday morning, the coffee is brewing and you're listening to your favorite record. Your stomach rumbles and instead of grabbing a CLIF "candy-in-disguise" bar that you have to shove in your mouth while power walking to work, you can actually make something to eat.
Fast forward to Sunday lunchtime, the morning has escaped us a little due to our friends coffee and The NY Times but now we are hungry.
Our breakfast taco's kept us full all day yesterday until we went to Holy Land restaurant for dinner. We brought home some leftovers, but we want to plus them up a little so we put our thinking caps on and again, tortillas bring it all together.
Many a time, Amy's organic soups or chilis have come to our rescue. Not to mention delivery from our local Oakland favorites, including but not limited to Banana Blossom Thai, Caña Cuban Parlour, Lanesplitter pizza and Shaan Indian cuisine.
So at the weekend, when we have an additional precious 20 hours or so back to focus solely on ourselves, we adore luxuriating in the making of a good breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Picture the scene - it's Saturday morning, the coffee is brewing and you're listening to your favorite record. Your stomach rumbles and instead of grabbing a CLIF "candy-in-disguise" bar that you have to shove in your mouth while power walking to work, you can actually make something to eat.
Opening the fridge and spotting eggs, cheese, sweet potatoes and an avocado - not to mention that fresh cilantro plant that has just been kitchen windowsill garnish until now - we feel a wave of inspiration, as in the cupboard we know we have a couple of packets of La Tortilla Factory corn and whole grain tortillas. This combo of ingredients means one thing and one thing only. That's right, breakfast tacos.
Curried egg, sweet potato and avocado breakfast corn tortilla tacos, serves 2:
- 2 La Tortilla Factory handmade style white corn tortillas
- 2 La Tortilla Factory handmade style yellow corn tortillas
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 avocado
- 1 teaspoon of curry powder
- 1/2 cup of grated cheese
- a few sprigs of chopped, fresh cilantro
- a splash of milk
- a few sprigs of chopped, fresh cilantro
- a splash of milk
- a splash of olive oil
Peel and dice the sweet potato into half inch sized cubes. In a saute pan, warm and season the olive oil with the salt and pepper over a low-medium heat before adding the potato. Set a timer and let the potato cook for 10 minutes.
Wash and chop your cilantro, dice up your avocado, take a sip on your coffee and wait for the timer to beep. When it does, stir your sweet potatoes and then set the timer for another 10 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, curry powder, salt and pepper. Pour into a skillet pan over medium heat and stir until fluffy.
The timer will soon beep and your sweet potatoes will be fully cooked through. Now all you have to do is warm your tortilla's over a medium heat in a frying pan for 15ish second per side, sprinkle on your cheese while the tortillas are still in the pan so it gets gooey, melty and completely delicious before piling on the eggs, potatoes, avocado and cilantro with a pinch more S+P if needed.
The curry powder in the eggs adds just a hint of mystique to their flavor that pairs really nicely with the caramelized flavors in the sweet potatoes. Also, we love these tortillas as they are thick enough to hold a hearty filling yet they are soft and flexible enough not to crack under pressure like some corn tortillas do.
Our breakfast taco's kept us full all day yesterday until we went to Holy Land restaurant for dinner. We brought home some leftovers, but we want to plus them up a little so we put our thinking caps on and again, tortillas bring it all together.
Hummus and falafel organic whole wheat O/S tacos, serves 2:
- 2 La Tortilla Factory organic non-gmo whole wheat tortillas
- 4 falafel
- 1/2 cup of hummus
- a few sprigs of chopped, fresh cilantro
- a sprinkle of paprika
- 1/2 cup of brown rice
- 1/4 cup of good quality sweet-spicy salsa of your choice
- 1/4 cup of grated cheese
- tablespoon of sour cream
- a sprinkle of paprika
This recipe is nice and easy because it's 97% based on leftovers, and if you don't have leftovers, store bought ingredients. All you need to do is wash and chop a little more of that cilantro and control your sprinkle as you handle the paprika.
Place 2 tortillas on a plate, dampen a piece of paper towel and use it to cover the tortillas before popping them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Hey, we mentioned this was an easy dish. We seriously love these tortillas as they are wonderfully light in texture yet filling, chocked full of whole grains and they comfortably create a super-sized taco.
Remove your tortillas from the microwave, replacing them with the falafel which will need to be warmed through for approximately 45 seconds. Spread the hummus on each tortilla, sprinkle a tiny amount of paprika on the hummus for color before adding 2 falafel's to each tortilla and garnishing with cilantro.
This veggie lunch could not be easier, more flavorful and will see your tummy through to dinner time.
There is no grander meal than Sunday dinner. It's the meal we kiss goodbye to the weekend with and we always make an effort to do it right, this recipe is no exception. And well, if we didn't have some form of burrito on this list, we'd never forgive ourselves.
Garlic grilled chicken, brown rice, mango-lime salsa, black bean, avocado and grilled bell pepper fajita burritos on low carb and high fiber flour tortillas, serves 2:
- 4 La Tortilla Factory low carb, high fiber, traditional flour tortillas
- 2 organic chicken breasts
- 1 avocado
- 1 bell pepper
- 1/2 cup of black beans- 1/2 cup of brown rice
- 1/4 cup of good quality sweet-spicy salsa of your choice
- 1/4 cup of grated cheese
- tablespoon of sour cream
- a few sprigs of chopped, fresh cilantro
- minced garlic clove
- a splash of olive oil
- salt and pepper
An hour or so before you plan to eat, cook your brown rice in water seasoned with a little salt and pepper. For the record, we love Trader Joe's brown rice medley, because it looks fancy and is really tasty for a simple, brown rice. Anyway, as it cooks, slice your chicken into burrito friendly sized strips, place them in a bowl and drizzle them with olive oil, add the minced garlic, a little salt and pepper and stir so all the chicken is coated. Let that marinate for 10 minutes as you chop up your bell pepper into strips. Once the bell pepper is cut, place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Warm a sauté pan over a low-medium heat and add the chicken, set a timer for 6 minutes and proceed to open your can of beans - this is not a Trader Joe's ad, we promise, but we do like their canned Cuban black beans in this recipe - then cut and mash your avocado. When the timer beeps, stir the chicken and add the bell pepper to the pan, cover and let it cook for another 6 minutes.
As the chicken and bell peppers cook, heat your beans through for a couple of minutes in the microwave and wash and rough chop your fresh cilantro. Gather a couple of plates, your salsa, sour cream and grated cheese as you wait for the timer to beep again. Now your ready to build your burrito.
Today we are using low carb and high fiber flour tortillas by La Tortilla Factory as our foundation.
These tortillas are quite thin compared to a more traditional, less nutritionally advanced tortilla, but they stand up to a hearty filling of all your favorite burrito accoutrements while delivering an extra punch of fibre and fewer carbs. And if you're wondering "is there is any flavor compromise with this healthier tortilla?", the answer is no. These tortillas are really tasty. They're a must try for anyone watching their carb intake who loves real eatin' - and that's basically everyone on planet earth. Or at least in California.
Warm your tortillas over a medium heat in a frying pan for 10ish seconds per side, then in neat little lines - if you're crazy like us - fill the tortillas with all of the ingredients above. Just leave a little space - about a fifth of the tortilla at the bottom - bare so when you're ready to eat you can flip it up over the bottom of the ingredients before rolling the sides of your tortilla in. That way you don't lose any of your delicious filling while you chow. And if by saying that we just confused rather than helped you, click here.
We hope this inspired you to branch out into the new world of tortillas the next time you're at the store. Feel free to try any of these recipes and let us know how you get on. Happy eating!
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