Tortillas have many uses but alternatives are available depending on use.
Tortillas are Mexican flatbreads. They can be made from flour or corn and are extensively used in Tex-Mex and Mexican cooking. The tortillas can be fried into chips, cut into strips for soup, wrapped around burrito fillings or deep-fried to make crunchy taco shells. How you intend to use the tortilla will help you to choose an appropriate alternative.
Chips
Instead of frying corn tortillas for crunchy chips to serve with salsa or guacamole, try fried plantain chips. Plantains are a larger, starchier relative the the banana. Peel and slice the plantains and deep fry until golden brown. For a healthier alternative to fried tortilla chips, try pretzels. They have a similar salty flavor and crunch without the fat and calories of tortilla chips. Opt for whole wheat pretzels for the greatest nutritional benefit.
Soup and Salad Garnish
Instead of using tortillas, cut wonton skins or egg roll wrappers into strips and deep fry or bake until crisp. Add the crispy strips to a soup or salad as a garnish instead of tortillas for the same crunch. For another alternative, crumble whole grain crackers into the soup or salad.
Burrito Wraps
Instead of wrapping the ingredients inside a tortilla, stuff them into the pocket of a halved pita bread. The pita will keep the fillings neat without spilling. For a closer replication of a tortilla-wrapped burrito, wrap the fillings in a piece of naan or chapati. Both of these Indian flatbreads are similar to the flour tortillas used to wrap around burritos. Those on low carbohydrate diets can wrap the burrito ingredients in a large lettuce leaf. Putting the burrito fillings between two pieces of whole grain bread changes the burrito into a sandwich, but that sandwich has the added nutritional benefits of whole grains. Flour tortillas used to make burritos are traditionally made from refined white flour and lard, making them less healthy for surrounding a burrito than a whole grain alternative.
Taco Shells
Make crunchy tacos without taco shells. Wonton skins or egg roll wrappers become crispy like taco shells when baked or fried. To make the taco shell shape during baking, drape the wonton skin or egg roll wrapper over the edges of a baking pan and bake until lightly browned. As it cools, the wonton taco will become crisp. For soft taco wrappers, try savory crepes or lavash cut into 6-inch squares.
Tags: taco shells, whole grain, bake until, burrito fillings, into strips, made from, roll wrappers