What's new in the world of grain-free tortillas?
“Alternative” tortillas have been around for a few years, but now they actually taste good – it took a few years of experimentation, I guess! The first brand we found that we liked was Siete, a company from Austin, Texas. They make several kinds of tortillas, some made from cassava and coconut flours, others from almond flour or garbanzo bean flours. Ours favorite is the cassava tortilla, which also contains coconut flour. Siete also makes an excellent vegan shortbread cookie!
Recently I’ve been trying some other brands. Mikey’s tortillas also makes a cassava/coconut flour blend, and I find I prefer their texture – it is even more like a regular flour tortilla and stays a bit more pliable when gently heated in a toaster oven before I fill it to make a wrap. Mikey’s now makes more exotic flavors: turmeric, beets and sweets, and a green tortilla with broccoli! We haven’t tried these flavors yet. I’m more interested in the basics, but perhaps we’ll branch out.
Another discovery is the brand Potapas, which makes two kinds of tortillas. They are slightly smaller than the cassava tortillas mentioned above and look and feel very much like a regular corn tortilla. They, too, can be gently heated in a toaster oven, then used to make soft tacos. They come in two varieties – a potato formula, and another which is a mix of sweet potatoes with regular potatoes. They also contain some cassava and coconut flours. They hold up nicely when filled, keeping their pliable texture and able to withstand a little moisture in the filling without splitting.
Sprouts usually has a great selection of these tortillas in their freezer section, but I’ve also found them at Whole Foods. Try some alternative tortillas the next time you make breakfast tacos, as in our recipe here for Santa Barbara Breakfast Tacos:
Santa Barbara Breakfast Tacos:
Serves 2
Four Potapas tortillas
Cooked black beans
4 eggs, scrambled
Avocado slices
Mango salsa (recipe follows)
Warm tortillas in a toaster oven for about 2 minutes. Fill with cooked black beans, scrambled eggs, and avocado. Top generously with mango salsa.
Mango Salsa
¼ c. minced shallot or red onion
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1 lg. mango, about 12 oz., diced (about 1 ½ cups diced mango)
1 small red bell pepper
1/4 c. fresh cilantro
1 lg. clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Stir all ingredients together well. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
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