Have you heard of Siete Tortillas?
I first saw them on Julie Bauer’s blog, PaleOMG.com, and of course, I immediately ordered a case. And I truly enjoyed them. Now I’m enjoying my 2nd case! They are grain/gluten free, and come in 3 varieties: Almond flour, Cassava & Coconut, and Cassava & Chia.
Spicy foods are no longer on my menu, since I removed all nightshades from my diet. That includes tomatoes, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes!), all varieties of peppers & chilis, & eggplants (which I never liked anyway). It also includes chili powders. Having abstained from all these wonderful foods & spices for most of the last year, I’ve found that I feel so much better without them, and I’ve also found that when I eat them, I suffer: arthritis, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, I end up having trouble walking because my feet don’t work right, and I have various other aches and pains. Gratefully, it all goes away when I abstain.
But who doesn’t love a taco? Or a tostada? I’ve tried various homemade paleo/grain free tortilla recipes, and some of them are pretty good, but they do take time to make. Although I don’t use a lot of pre-prepped foods, I have to admit that having tortillas in the freezer once in awhile is a pretty handy thing! Especially since they take almost no time to thaw, and make for quick, easy, & versatile meals. I haven’t tried the Almond flour tortillas, because I don’t really digest nuts well. For tacos, I think the Cassava & Coconut come out the best. I like to crisp them a little in a skillet, and then fold them over. They come out a mix of crunchy & chewy that way. For Tostadas, the Chia version got especially crunchy overall, but both versions make great tostadas. They also are both great just lightly heated, or cut into tortilla chip shapes and cooked until crispy to dip in Guac.
For dinner last night we had them with Bolyard’s Pulled Beef, another handy & convenient food that I’ve been keeping in stock recently. Bolyard’s Meats and Provisions is a butcher shop in Maplewood (St. Louis suburbs) that I frequent often, in part because it’s half a mile from my house, and also because everything they sell is pasture raised, local, & fresh. Also, everyone there is super nice, especially the owner, Chris Bolyard!
Bolyard’s Pulled Beef! Just heat it gently (or eat it cold), and it’s ready to go.
I save a lot of money by filling my deep freeze once or twice a year with locally raised beef, pork, lamb, & chicken, and although I source the majority of my meats from a few local farmers that I love, sometimes I want some thinly cut breakfast steaks, or maybe I’ve used up all of my soup bones. Or I’d like some special cut of something that I don’t have in my freezer. Bolyard’s is the place! Tell them what you want, and they will cut it for you on the spot. If they don’t have it, they will suggest alternative cuts. They also make their own lunchmeats, sausages, and a variety of other things, and you can pick up eggs, grilling supplies, sauerkraut & pickles, & even dinner. Once a week they fire up the smoker & smoke all kinds of things, and that is where the Pulled Beef that I love comes from, and it is flavorful, smokey, and perfect for tacos!
The final piece to last night’s taco dinner was creamy cilantro lime coleslaw! Here’s my recipe:
First make a batch of mayo, using lime juice instead of lemon juice. I use a stick blender.
3/4 C avocado oil
1 whole egg
juice of one lime
salt & white pepper (opt) & garlic granules to taste… I just sprinkle some of each, maybe 1/4 tsp or so? You could also add ground cumin or other spices that you like.
Hold the stick blender all the way to the bottom of the container you’re blending in, blend down there for a few seconds first, to start emulsifying the egg, then slowly move the blending stick up to gradually incorporate a little of the oil at a time. The whole process takes maybe 30 seconds. Now you have a beautiful mayo! BTW, to make regular mayo, follow the same formula, except use lemon juice.
Now for the slaw: shred up a variety of veggies. I used 1/4 green cabbage, 1/4 red cabbage, 1 large grated carrot, and half of a vidalia sweet onion thinly sliced. I actually prefer red onion, but we use what we have. Chop up a bunch of cilantro too. If you can eat bell peppers, a thinly sliced red bell would be a really nice addition. Toss it all together, then add the entire batch of mayo, mixing well. Sample it, and see if it needs anything: I added a little more salt & garlic to mine, plus about 1 T of apple cider vinegar. Some toasted cumin seeds would probably be an awesome addition! I wish I’d thought of that yesterday!
Heat up your tortillas, heat up your pulled beef, or some leftover chicken or whatever, layer on some slaw & a blop of Guac or avocado slices, and enjoy!
No tortillas? Or maybe you don’t want the carbs? Pile some slaw into a bowl, top with protein & guac & chow down! A great way to use up leftovers!
If you want to check out their tortillas, here’s a link to Siete Foods.
If you live in the St. Louis area, here’s a link to Bolyard’s Meats & Provisions.
If you live in the St. Louis area, and you’re looking for a source of pasture raised beef, pork, chicken, etc, so that you can fill your deep freeze, here’s a link to my good friend Bob Eckenfels and his family farm. I like supporting the local economy, and the Eckenfels family are also super nice folks!
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