While nothing beats a traditional stone-ground corn tortilla for fajitas and tacos, I and so many others out there, just don't do so well with grains, and this particular type of cereal in general. We often joke about seeing corn in the poop, but really it's no laughing matter. When we see undigested food in our stool, it's generally a sign that our body doesn't love that particular ingredient, and is having a hard time breaking it down as a result. This puts a massive strain on our entire digestive function, potentially increasing systemic inflammation and minimizing proper absorption and assimilation of other foods we eat and the important nutrients within. On top of that, corn is rather high in the infamously inflammatory essential fatty acid of omega-6, which can sometimes lead to a myriad of health concerns including immune dysfunction, joint pain, heart disease, and autoimmune conditions to name a few, if over-consumed.
If you're cool with corn that's awesome, but if you're noticing you have a hard time digesting it, or are looking to diminish grains in your diet for other wellness reasons, this grain-free tortilla recipe might be just what you're looking for. Because I mean who doesn't love a god old fajita topped with a mountain of guac?
Grain-free Tortillas
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Cook time: About 10-15 minutes
Servings: 4-6 tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 cup cassava or tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup other grain-free flour (I like to do a mix of almond, coconut, and/or golden flax meal) *Note that almond and flax are greasier, so you might not need as much oil if using mostly these flours, and coconut is quite dry, so you might need a bite more oil or water if using more of this flour.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional) *If not using, add a teeny bit more baking soda
- About 7 tbsp warm water
- About 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
Directions
- Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
- Add oil first, then water very slowly and mix with your hands until a stiff dough forms. *If dough is sticky, add a bit more flour. If the dough is crumbly, add a bit more olive oil.
- Divide dough into 4-6 fairly equal portions. Form each piece into a ball.
- Place one dough ball at a time on a silicone baker’s mat, parchment paper or wax paper and flatten with the palm of your hand as much as possible. Cover flattened dough with another sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. Roll dough into a very flat rough circle, about 6 inches in diameter. Carefully remove the bottom silicone mat/ parchment paper/wax paper so the rolled-out tortilla is stuck to one piece. Set aside and roll out the remaining dough balls.
- Preheat a frying pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, peel one rolled-out raw tortilla off its sheet and place into pan. Cook about 1 minute or until bottom surface has a few pale brown spots. Flip and cook for about another minute longer. *Ideally, the tortillas will be soft with a few small pale golden brown spots on surface. If tortilla is browning too fast, reduced heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on underside of tortillas, increase heat a bit).
- Remove from pan and stack until all tortillas are cooked.
- Serve warm or allow to cool and freeze for later. *To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or wax paper and place in a zippered bag before placing in freezer.