Low Carb Tortillas
Yes, there are low-carbohydrate tortillas! They’re made by La Tortilla Factory,
and they’re loaded with fiber, which is why they’re low carb—each tortilla has
12 grams of carbohydrate and 9 grams of fiber, for a total of just 3 grams of
usable carbs.
As the popularity of low-carb dieting has increased, these low-carb tortillas
have become easier to find in stores—I know a couple of places that carry them
here in Bloomington, Indiana, and it’s not like we’re the retail capital of the
universe. Look around. If you can’t find them, consider asking a local health
food store to special order them for you—most health food stores are really
helpful about special orders, and if enough people ask for the tortillas, the store
may start carrying them as a matter of course.
If even that fails, go online and do a search for “low-carbohydrate tortillas.”
You’ll find plenty of e-tailers happy to ship them to you.
Low-carb tortillas are not exactly like either flour or corn tortillas; they have a
flavor and texture of their own. We really enjoy them, and they sure are
versatile! With a package of low-carb tortillas in the house and some cheese in
the fridge, you’ve got a quick meal, any time.
I have tried making low-carb tortilla chips by cutting low-carb tortillas into
wedges and frying them. The results were edible, but not great—tough, and a bit
cardboardy. Feel free to try it if you’d like. Me, I’d rather have nuts or fiber
crackers or something.
Since I didn’t like the low-carb tortilla chips, I haven’t tried frying these lowcarb
tortillas to make taco shells or tostadas. I think the low-carb tortillas are
best left in their original soft-and-pliable state. This chapter will teach you a few
ways to use them.
Is there anyone left who hasn’t tried this Mexican version of the grilled cheese
sandwich? If you’d like to make a single-serving quesadilla, use a single tortilla,
cover half of it with cheese, and fold it over. Heck, you can use this method for
all your quesadillas if you like; I just find the sandwiching method easier.
2 low-carb tortillas
4 ounces (115 g) cheese, sliced or shredded
* Mexican Queso Quesadilla is the classic choice, but Monterey Jack,
jalapeño jack, and cheddar are all great, too.
Put one tortilla in the bottom of a large, heavy, dry skillet over medium heat.
Spread the cheese over it, and place the other tortilla on top. Let it cook a few
minutes until the cheese is starting to melt. Carefully flip the whole thing and
let it cook on the other side until the cheese is well-melted. Remove from the
skillet, cut the quesadilla into quarters—a pizza cutter works well—and serve.
Yield: 2 servings, each with 12 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of fiber,
for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 19 grams of protein.
Each serving also contains 463 milligrams of calcium!
Quesadillas Picantes
I love jalapeños, so this recipe is one of my personal favorites.
Make your quesadilla as described, but place slices of canned jalapeño
on top of the cheese and let them melt into the cheese.
Yield: 2 servings, each with 13 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of
fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 19 grams of protein.
Mondo Giganto Quesadilla-from-****
Zowie—this is a serious meal. Thank my husband for the name—he took one
look at this big, thick quesadilla, and that’s what he called it.
2 low-carb tortillas
3 ounces (85 g) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 ounces (85 g) purchased grilled chicken strips
1/2 tablespoon canned sliced jalapeños
1/4 ripe avocado, sliced
Place one of the tortillas in a large, heavy, dry skillet. Spread half the
shredded cheese on it, then top with the chicken, jalapeños, and avocado
slices, and top with the rest of the cheese. Place the second tortilla on top.
Toast over medium heat, with a tilted lid, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the
cheese is melting. Flip your Quesadilla-from-**** carefully—a few bits may
escape from the sides because it’s so full of yumminess; just tuck the bits
back in. Continue toasting until all the cheese is melted. I find it easiest to use
a pizza cutter to cut this in quarters right in the pan (turn the heat off first).
The quarters are far easier to transfer to plates than the whole bursting-at-theseams
thing.
Yield: 2 servings, each with 14 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of fiber,
for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 29 grams of protein.
Tip: If you don’t have purchased grilled chicken strips in the house, you
can, of course, just throw a boneless, skinless chicken breast in your
electric tabletop grill for 5 to 6 minutes and then slice it up. This is good
without the chicken, too, although lower in protein, of course. (The carb
count drops 1 gram for each ounce of chicken.)
Burgers
When we first discussed this project, my editor, Holly, and I discussed recipes
that simply wouldn’t work for the 15-minute framework. Holly brought up meat
loaves. “Hah!” I said. “I’ll just make them as burgers.”
And that’s what I’ve done. Here, for your quick-cooking, low-carbing
pleasure, is an astonishing variety of interesting burger recipes, not a few of
which originated as high-carb meat loaf recipes.
All of these recipes assume that you have an electric tabletop grill—you
know, the George Foreman kind of thing. Since these grills cook from both
sides, they cook very rapidly. If you don’t have one, no worries—there’s no
reason you can’t cook these burgers in a skillet or even broil them—it’ll just take
an extra 5 minutes or so, and you’ll have to flip them.
By the way, you’ll find a number of burger recipes here that use pork. If you
don’t eat pork, I don’t see any reason why ground turkey wouldn’t work in these
recipes. It would taste different, but should still taste good. If you do this, chop
all of your other ingredients in a food processor and then add the ground turkey
and pulse just long enough to combine.
Low carb meal recipes
