#146 We made our own Flour tortilla

Since the day I started making breads, I have been dying to make my own flour tortilla. I am so glad I found this recipe.  Because of our food allergies, we cannot buy food from her school's cafeteria, so cooking in the morning and packing lunch is an absolute must for me. We like to pack tortilla and quesadilla, and we  buy flour tortillas from the grocery stores to make it. Well, after I learned how easy it is to make a home made tortilla using organic flour, I will not be buying for a long long time, or maybe, even never! :) This recipe does not require lard nor shortening, which is a great plus, it is very quick and easy to make, soft, really good for quesadilla. 

Yield: 12 medium sized tortillas

FLOUR TORTILLA

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups warm water ( not HOT) 

Directions: 

1.  Mix the dry ingredients. 
2. Add oil and mix with hands. 
3. Mixing with your hands, add water a little at a time, until you get a soft dough. 
4. You should be able to mix in all the dry ingredients, but the dough shouldn't be sticky. 
5. (You can add in more flour if you add too much water.) On a floured surface, knead the dough for 2- 4 minutes, adding flour if the dough is sticky. 
6. Form dough into a ball, cover with towel and place upside down bowl over dough. 
7. Let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. NOTE: the dough will not rise, this just rests the gluten. 
8. Heat ungreased griddle to medium-high. 
9. Break off golf-ball sized pieces of dough and flatten into 5 inch circles. 
10. On a floured surface roll out tortillas using a back and forth motion, turning the tortilla 1/4 turn after each roll. 
11. Flip the tortilla at least once. 
12. Place tortilla on hot griddle and cook till bubbles rise (20-25 seconds). 
13. Flip and cook on the other side 20-25 seconds. 
14. Finished tortillas will be speckled with brown. 
15. Place cooked tortilla in a bowl covered and lined with a towels.

Recipe adapted from Stacy Diaz featured on an article in San Jose Mercury News

A tortilla (or flour tortilla to differentiate it from other uses of the word "tortilla") is a type of thin flatbread made from finely ground wheat flour. It originated in Mexico and  has been a staple food of the Mexican region since pre-Columbian times. Read more from our source.

I learned that wheat flour tortillas have been used on many American spaceflights since 1985 as an easy solution to the problems of handling food in microgravity and preventing bread crumbs from escaping into delicate instruments.

Below is hilarious line from the funny and smart movie I recently watched: One Day; in the movie, Emma (Anne Hathaway), who was working in a  restaurant in London, educates a customer:
"A tortilla is either corn or wheat. But a corn tortilla folded and filled is a taco, whereas a filled wheat tortilla is a burrito. Deep fry a burrito, it's a chimichanga.Toast a tortilla, it's a tostada. Roll it, it's an enchilada." :)

#78 Guacamole

In the past, I ate Avocados only when dipped in sugar or made as a milkshake.. Until I tried Guacamole for the first time...it is the best! I did not know this wonderful sauce existed until I came to California. If you have never tried it, I'm sharing a simple recipe that will truly make you want to make more. Guacamole originated in Mexico, it is an old dish that was first created by the Aztecs in the 16th century. It can be eaten as a sauce, a dip or salad condiment. Here in the US, it has become an important part of American cuisine. I know why, it's awesome! I got these Avocados which are smaller in size than normal from a local farmer, who parks his truck right across the street from my daughter's school. Usually sold for $1.99 each fruit at the grocery stores.. it was $5 for a bag of 15 great tasting organic Avocados. :)

GUACAMOLE

Ingredients:

3 ripe Avocados
lime
cilantro, chopped
jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice avocados in half, remove the meat and mash it in a bowl.
2. Add fresh squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, jalapenos, salt and pepper to taste.  

You can also add the following: chopped tomatoes,  a pinch of cayenne pepper, a pinch of cumin, diced onions, 1 clove minced garlic. It will taste great. But I like mine with just the 6 ingredients listed in the recipe.

This avocado-based sauce has pushed avocado sales to 30 million pounds on two days a year: 

Superbowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.

Avocado + Lime + Salt + Cilantro + Jalapenos + Pepper = Delicioso! :)

#40 My Sweet and Spicy Hot Salad

This salad is crunchy, juicy, sweet, spicy hot and I make a light dressing to go with it. The heat comes from the Jalapeño peppers. I like to eat raw corn and fresh crisp veggies (who doesn't?), the taste of each vegetable is so different than when it is cooked. I usually throw away left over salads at night when we have it, but not this one, I cook it with the dressing the next day. The taste is as great as it was raw, and the kick from the Jalapeño remains. Try it and enjoy it's spicy yumminess!



My Sweet and Spicy Hot Salad


Ingredients:

8 ounces frozen corn, thawed
1/2 big red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 big green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green jalapeño pepper, minced
4 sprig of onions (scallions), chopped
8 pieces of cherry tomatoes, halved
red lettuce (about 4 leaves)  coarsely chopped


Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light sour cream
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Pour all the vegetables inside a big bowl, add in the dressing, mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy

Jalapeño peppers originated in Mexico, named after Jalapa (Xalapa) , Veracruz where it was traditionally cultivated. The heat level of each pepper differ from mild to hot depending on the cultivation and preparation. It is a skin and eye irritant, but it also has medicinal attributes. It's juice is used as remedy for seasonal allergies and cardiovascular problems. 

#37 black bean avocado salsa

Six years ago, it was a big surprise to me that an avocado fruit can taste great as an accompaniment to meat, and amazing when drizzled with lime, lemon and salt. I usually just eat it with sugar and milk back home. It was shocking to me how expensive it is when I first saw it in a nearby grocery store. $ 1.99 each for tiny ones! Back home, I usually just pick it up from the ground, literally. I don't remember buying an avocado fruit ever in my entire life before I moved to California. My mother has big organic avocado trees in her backyard and in the farm in the Philippines, and we handpicked the fruit once it falls to the ground or early in the morning, only if, we feel like eating it. An avocado fruit falls off the branch when it is ripe and ready and it does not break :) 

I love salsa. When freshly made, it tastes so much better. I used beans as a substitute to tomatoes based on a recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook. Once I tasted it, I could not keep all the goodness to myself! I summoned my dear friend who is a salsa connoiseur to judge it. The judgment: "Excellent!"



BLACK BEAN AVOCADO SALSA

Ingredients:


2 cups coarsely chopped peeled avocado (about 2 small avocados)
1/3 cup red onion (about 2 medium onion)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and toss gently. 
2. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 2 hours. 
3. Serve with baked or light tortilla chips. 

Salsa originated in Mexico. The word salsa means sauce in Spanish. In English speaking countries, it usually refers to the tomato-based, hot dips in Mexican cuisine. There are many variations, including our nouveau salsa recipe.  I wonder where my grandmother learned how to make her version of salsa which she called "Sasa-an" :) She made it with tomatoes, green and red onions, small hot chili, vinegar and calamansi (Philippine lemon). Will dig further into this :) And will definitely make as many salsa variations as I can.