It's a good day. Mom made quesadillas!
I'm going back to work next week! Since halfway through my pregnancy, I've only been working 8-10 hours a week, and I'm going crazy! But I finally got the state of Illinois to cooperate, finally got my Psychotherapist license, and was hired on by my favorite internship site!
In preparation, I'm slowly filling the freezer with food. It's not that I don't trust my husband to get food on the table at night (since I'll be working evenings). It's that I don't trust my husband to get healthy, fresh food on the table while being followed around by my favorite Toddler.
First up for the freezer food: whole wheat tortillas!
Why tortillas? I mean, they're dirt cheap at the store, keep forever, and are easy to find. However, I've been making a commitment to try to get 75% of our grains as whole grains. And whole grain tortillas are a) expensive, b) not always 100% whole grain, and c) still full of a bunch of crap I don't want to feed my child. So I make my own, with only 4 ingredients. And they're delicious.
2. In your mixer or food processor, place the 4 cups of flour and 2 Tablespoons of Lard. Mix until it resembles damp sand.
Yes, Lard. In an effort to eat better, I ran across This Blog, in which a family ate nothing but whole, real food for 100 days. Admirable, amazing, and far beyond my abilities. My goal is 75% whole foods for the kiddo, and 50% for us grown ups, who have a lifetime of bad habits to overcome. Her tortilla recipe doesn't use lard, but lard is on her list of Good Fats (she addresses the spray oil issue as well...I'm not alone!). I use lard because I had the best tortillas ever when I was in Mexico on a service trip, and I believe lard is the secret! Plus, it's cheap.
3. Once the mixture resembles damp sand, add the 2 cups of water, a little at a time. I use my dough hook for this, and it will take awhile. Don't be impatient and add the water too quickly. You might not need the full 2 cups. You might need a little more than 2 cups. It depends on the weather, the humidity, the flour, etc. Apparently my ability to tolerate imprecise recipes is not common, so if you're freaking out about this, take a deep breath. If your dough gets too wet, you can add more flour. Breathe.
Eventually, the dough will form a ball (you may have to take it out and knead it a few times, then put it back with the dough hook). The ball should hold together without cracking, and be slightly tacky, but not sticky or slimy. If the ball is falling apart, add more water. If it's sticky, add more flour.
4. Knead the ball on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes. It should look like this:
5. Divide the ball into 24 smaller balls. These will make 8-10 inch tortillas. If you want smaller, taco-like tortillas, make 36 balls. If you want Chipotle-esque burrito tortillas, you want 18-20 balls.
For the math-challenged, I offer this suggestion: divide the ball in half. Now divide each half in half (you have 4 pieces), and each of those in half (8 pieces). Each of those pieces gets divided in thirds, and there you have it: 24 balls.
6. Let the balls rest for 30ish minutes. ("Let the balls rest" is a phrase I never thought I'd type. You're welcome.) I just toss mine back in the mixing bowl and cover with a clean towel.
Enjoy this picture of my balls.
7. Roll each ball as thinly as possible. This is the tough part. I flatten the ball with my hand on a lightly floured surface, then use a rolling pin to roll it thin. Usually I turn the tortilla 45 degrees every couple of rolls. It takes some muscle. Sometimes I'll roll half of them out, cook them up, then roll the other half out.
They won't be perfect. Live with it.
8. Spray a large, hot skillet with cooking spray, or something that is less likely to kill you. One at a time, cook each tortilla for about 1 minute per side. The first few will suck. This is normal. Little known fact: "practice" tortillas have no calories. You'll quickly learn what they look like when they're dry and cooked. You'll also learn to very lightly spray the skillet, or they'll end up greasy.
9. Once they're done, they'll stay in the fridge for about a week, or the freezer for a couple months. I divide mine into 4 bags (6 tortillas each, for those of you who took Smath in college), toss 3 in the freezer, and use the other one right away. They'll go fast because they're way better than the store bought stuff!
Levi and I had quesadillas for lunch! I sprinkled half the tortilla with frozen veggies and shredded cheese, tossed it in the microwave for 1 minute, and cut it into strips. He had his with peaches. I had mine with hot sauce.
Now quit with the pictures and let me eat my lunch!
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