Gluten Free or Great Flavor? Both with these new Wraps & Tortillas

By Shawn Christopher of the Gluten Free Spouse

By now, you’ve probably heard the -buzz words-  “Gluten-Free”, “Celiac”, or “Gluten Intolerant” popping up everywhere from the news, to your favorite talk show, to your favorite restaurant menu.

But, what are they and what do they mean?

Well, some people can’t eat gluten.  It’s as simple as that.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.  This protein and anything made with these grains can and does cause harm to those who cannot eat gluten.  There are a variety of reasons people can’t eat gluten and about one out of every 133 people  are affected.  Reasons include but are not limited to Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, Allergy to gluten, and gluten intolerance (the body’s inability to digest or process gluten).

If you are researching a gluten-free diet and have not been to a doctor, please go.  Regardless of the diagnosis, if you feel better removing gluten from your diet, I say go for it.  Eating gluten-free cannot hurt you in any way. My spouse has Celiac Disease so to make sure I’m not cross contaminating, I eat a gluten-free diet also and have for years.

As you can imagine, following a gluten-free diet necessitates making the majority of your foods from scratch and creating meals with wraps and tortillas has been labor intensive and problematic, -until now.  I was recently introduced to a couple of gluten-free products from La Tortilla Factory and my spouse and I will never long for a traditional wrap or tortilla again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For starters, I was blown away by the Fiber & Flax Corn Tortillas in white corn, yellow corn, and multigrain.  All are soft and flexible tortillas that include FLAX!  I love flax and use it in almost all my baking.  The added nutrition is amazing.  These will definitely receive a warm welcome from the gluten-free cooks that love south of the border cuisine.  Try this simple recipe.  It’s a sure cure for the mid-afternoon munchies.

Step 1:

Simply add your favorite cheese between tortillas.  (I used the multigrain.) Fry over medium heat a few minutes on each side.  I used a very small amount of butter in the pan, you could use a gluten-free cooking spray, but this is optional.

Step 2:

Cool a bit, slice, and enjoy!

On the wrap side of things, I really love their Smart & Delicious TM Gluten Free Ivory Teff Wraps.  I just can’t say enough good things about them. These simply have incredible taste and texture for a gluten-free wrap.  I steamed them, I fried them, I wrapped everything you can imagine in them and they were delicious.  These are definitely my favorite and I know I’ll be buying these again.  If you’re looking for inspiration, try this delicious recipe.

This is my favorite meatless dinner recipe.  There are many variations you can come up with to tailor this to your taste buds.

Ingredients

• 1 package Gluten Free, Wheat Free Ivory Teff Wraps
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup cooked rice (add a few tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro if desired)
• 2 cups queso
• 1 15 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• your favorite hot sauce

Step 1:

Begin warming the tortillas in a covered frying pan over low heat until they start steaming up.  I did this two at a time.  When steamed up increase the heat to a medium temperature and cook the tortillas a few minutes on each side.

Step 2:

Cook the beans according to directions.  Peel and dice the avocado.  Heat the queso in the microwave. I added a can of mexi-corn (11 ounces, drained) to my queso prior to heating.

 

Step 3:

Pile the ingredients onto a wrap, hot sauce first, then rice, beans, queso, and finally avocado.  Leave enough for everyone else, not to mention enough room for you to close and wrap your wrap. (Slicing in half for picture: optional.)

Enjoy!

 

Shawn Christopher

“Gluten-free cookbook author and blogger has not always been my life.  Early in 2007 my Spouse was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and my lifelong creative cooking hobby became a full time challenging yet rewarding job while learning the ins and outs of gluten-free cooking and baking.  My goal has always been to create recipes that don’t make my Spouse sick, and that I can eat without having any odd texture or lingering aftertaste. If you don’t miss the real thing then you aren’t missing anything. In this process we’ve both gotten a lot healthier and happier.  You can follow along with our gluten-free culinary journey at my blog The Gluten Free Spouse.  Stay Healthy!”