There is a universal truth about giving up grain: It's DAMN hard. Whether you are paleo, low carb, keto or primal, a common thread is no grain. You may start out all cavalier and cocky thinking you won't miss grain, but a few days or weeks in and suddenly you remember bread, pasta, tortillas and you would claw your own eyes out for a piece of toast. I'm not kidding. That is why it's so important to have some great subs on hand. These tortillas totally will quell your cravings and work amazing as a flour tortilla sub. I've even had success with my totally grain eating hubby and kid eating and enjoying these. They are fabulous right out of the cast iron skillet and freeze very well. When reheating, I always recommend using a skillet, as that gives the best taste, but in a pinch, the microwave will work, or you can just eat them at room temperature. Up to you. My recipe is adapted from Maria Emmerich's tortilla recipe. She uses almond flour or coconut flour in hers, however I wanted to reduce the fat and try and go nut free. I find coconut flour too sweet for my taste, so didn't want to use that either. Most people on these types of diets don't get too fussed about fat and calories, but for me, although I do not gain weight on a keto or low carb diet, I don't lose any either. So, for me, calories matter! You can follow Maria's recipe using almond flour or you can follow mine using my new favorite faux flour:
This is reduced fat sesame flour. It's high in protein, gluten free, nut free and much lower in fat and calories compared to almond flour. I'm not sure if the company is Norwegian, but I have seen their products on Amazon UK--not sure how popular it is in America yet. But I have found it works great in these types of recipes.
Grain & Nut Free Tortillas (adapted from Maria Emmerich)
11/4 cup reduced fat sesame flour
5 TBL ground psyllium husk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water
Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl (note, there is NO substitute for the psyllium husk), add the two eggs and mix until combined. Pour in the water and mix until thoroughly combined. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes to firm up. The original recipe yields 10 tortillas. I tend to get 18-20 out of mine, but I roll them very thin. Do it however you want.
I always start by dividing the dough into ping pong sized balls and then flatten them out in my hand:
Then, between two sheets of parchment paper, using a rolling pin, roll it out in as close to a circle as you can get it & as thin as you can get it. Don't worry, it always looks wonky:
I always use a knife to cut around the edges to give it a cleaner shape and then save the scraps to make another tortilla at the end:
Throw it in a cast iron skillet and cook until slight bubbles appear, then flip:
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat- About 15-20 times. When you are finished you will have a stack of lovely tortillas that even a grain lover would have no complaint about:
These really are great and I eat a ton of them. I use them for all kinds of tacos: carnitas, breakfast, beef, chicken etc. I fill them with tuna or chicken salad. I carry them in purse to have in a pinch when out in about (yes, I took a hamburger off of the bun and threw it in one of these bad boys just yesterday!). They are super versatile and will make your grain free pursuit a happier and calmer one!
Carnitas:
Breakfast tacos:
All dolled up and ready to eat!
Go make these! I promise you will thank me!
