Tortillas-A Kitchen Saving Grace

Tortillas have almost surpassed bread in my home as a staple to pullout for quick or on the go meals. While our standard fair is to stuff them with ingredients for Tex-Mex inspired meals- rice, chicken or beef cooked in taco or fajita seasoning, cheese, and perhaps rice, this is only the beginning of how we use them. Egg burritos, with or without meat, are portable for heating up at the office. Bits of leftover vegetables, meats, potatoes, and cheese can be rolled in them for a quick cheap lunch, in ways that won't work in a sandwich. One Friday, pay day in fact so I had not been shopping for a while,I was rushing to get out the door and hadn't thought ahead to lunch. I had nothing in my desk drawer, so I improvised with fridge remnants. I threw the end knobs of three different kinds of cheese, perhaps 1 1/2 ounces total, a bruised apple, and a very ripe avocado into my bag, along  with the lone remaining  tortilla in the package. I melted the cheese a touch on the tortilla, sliced up the avocado and apple, removing the bruised spots, and wrapped the whole lot in the tortilla. It was darn tasty, and my Friday lunch bunch, who always seem to have an eclectic set of lunches by pay day, gave me bonus points for creativity. 

When DD2's friend M stayed with us a bit last year, the amateur chef in her created some upscale quesadilla's using various bits of food found in the fridge. One day we had barbecue chicken and pepper jack. Another day she just cut them into strips, baked them and topped a make shift tortilla soup. While M took out a large frying pan to give a nice heat and color, even DD2, who is just getting her feet wet in the kitchen, will make a quick snack by putting a little cheese on one, rolling it up and giving it a quick melt in the microwave. She dips them then in salsa and sour cream if we have any on hand. My sister has an appetizer where she rolls deli meat slices, grated cheese, olives, and a ranch dressing/cream cheese spread in a tortilla. She  refrigerates for several hours, then slices into little spiral pinwheels. Flavors to make the pinwheel roll-ups are endless. 

At Aldi's, an 8 count large are $1.19,  only 15 cents a wrap. Even the store brand near me are only around $2.00. The low price point makes them a nice frugal addition to convenience food. Viva las tortilla. 

 Taste of Home:Tortilla Pinwheels

The above link and picture is to Taste of Home's recipe for Tortilla pinwheel appetizers. Use this as a suggestion-the possibilities are endless. I find though you need to make sure they are really cold before slicing for best results.