Saturday, August 4, 2012

Is it cold in here? Or is it just a burrr-ito?

Burritos are anything but cold. They can be mild, spicy or hot, hot, hot!

For Day 1 of the 3 Day Whole Wheat Flour Fest, I decided to create homemade whole wheat tortillas and use them to build my own take on a burrito. Not a typical burrito, but my own healthy twist on a dish that is usually filled with cheese, beans, rice, and meat.

I used the whole wheat tortillas as a shell for Fish Burritos with Shredded Lettuce-Carrot Slaw.


Fish Burrito with Shredded Lettuce-Carrot Slaw

Fish Burrito with Homemade Whole Wheat Tortilla and Shredded Lettuce-Carrot Slaw

Homemade Tortilla
Ingredients:
2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 C warm water

Equipment Needed:
Mixer with dough hook (or wooden spoon)
Flat surface
Rolling pin
Cast iron skillet, griddle, or 12-inch skillet. 

Total Time: about 30 minutes
Yield: 12 tortillas

POUR flour, oil and salt in mixing bowl with dough hook. (If you don't have a mixer with a dough hook, use a wooden spoon and mix carefully.) Using the mixer with the dough hook, beat mixture on medium speed until crumbly, scraping extra off of the sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. 

ADD warm water gradually while the mixer is running on medium speed. Continue mixing until dough is smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not over mix dough.

TAKE dough out of bowl and separate into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and flatten it out with the palm of your hand on a flat surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. 

ROLL out dough on a lightly floured flat surface into 6 to 8 inch flat circles using a rolling pin. 

HEAT a cast iron skillet, griddle, or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of oil and carefully cook each tortilla. Cook each side of the tortilla until slightly puffy and brown, about 30 to 45 seconds each side. Stack cooked tortillas on a plate, separating each tortillas with a paper towel. 

I had never made these before and the taste is definitely preferred to those of store bought tortillas. It took me a couple tortillas to make them into a somewhat circular shape, but after that they turned out perfect. 
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Shredded Lettuce-Carrot Slaw
Ingredients:
4 C shredded lettuce
2 1/2 C shredded carrots
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 C fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Equipment Needed:
Large glass bowl

Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: about 7 1/2 cups

PLACE shredded lettuce, carrots, tomato, and fresh cilantro in a large glass bowl. Toss with olive oil and black pepper. Add lime juice to taste and toss. 

This shredded lettuce-carrot slaw went perfectly with the tilapia in the burrito as well as on the side. It was a fresh taste and the carrots added the perfect crunch. I purchased pre-shredded bags of both lettuce and carrots just to take a little of the work out of prepping. 
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Fish Burrito
Ingredients:
2 to 4 Tilapia Fillets (depending on size of fillet)
6 whole wheat tortillas
2 to 3 C shredded lettuce-carrot slaw

Equipment Needed:
8 x 8 baking dish 

Total Time: about 20 to 25 minutes
Yield: 6 burritos

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. 

SPRAY baking dish with non-stick spray. Place fillets in baking dish. Bake fillets until fillet flakes easily with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes. After finished cooking, remove from oven and carefully cut fillets into chunk sized pieces, allowing for minimal rest time. 

PLACE tortilla on a place. Line fillet chunks and slaw towards the back 1/3 of tortilla. Fold in both side flaps over fillet chunks and slaw and then fold back flap over and wrap. 


The tilapia I purchased for this recipes was prepared with a tortilla, lime and chipotle crust. The flavor of the crust went perfectly with the sweet and tangy flavor of the slaw as well as the texture from the homemade whole wheat tortilla. The tortillas will keep for a couple of day, especially if you place them in the refrigerator and warm for a couple of seconds in the microwave.