Hey, you know what?
I’ve never been to Mexico, but what I’ve seen from food documentaries and the little experience that I’ve had eating at Mexican restaurants makes me imagine that Mexicans are jovial, happy people who enjoy their food.
Well, I suppose the only Mexican food that I’ve actually tried is the taco, and the simple fact that it’s a dish that requires assembly of your ingredients and then eating the final product with your hands (instead of a fork and a knife), already gives me the impression that Mexicans know how to savor their food, and enjoy the connection with food that eating with their hands brings.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
In fact, when I first started cooking two years ago, tacos were among the first dishes to make it to my testing menu (case in point: check out these beef and chicken tacos); and I’ll admit that it still ranks among my favorite meals to make. Making tacos on a weeknight is a great way to throw together many distinct ingredients and create a meal that’s both colorful, tasty and incredibly easy.
In a way, making tacos is my shortcut to a mid-week dinner that doesn’t take up a lot of time, but still tastes good and delicious. In fact, I made it so often it had become one of my specialties.
This year however, I found myself in a semi-dilemma after I started my wheat-free diet. How was I going to make tacos if the taco shells were made of wheat? Because I didn’t know a way out then, I literally stopped making tacos for a couple of months.
But, about a month back, I found the solution….an adapted version of Wheat Belly’s flaxseed wraps.
Completely wheat-free, and made with ground flax seeds instead, these wraps are the perfect alternative to tacos, even though they are slightly thicker and have a stronger taste of eggs. I adjusted the original recipe from Wheat Belly because I found them to be a little too thick (more like pancakes instead of crepes), so I added a lot more water, and loved that despite being slightly thinner, they still had an elastic consistency that allowed them to be folded without breaking.
These wraps, a light brown in color thanks to the ground flax seeds, can be manipulated into whichever size you like, and with just a light touch of butter, a wrap can be made in a non-stick pan within minutes. While this may take a bit longer than buying ready-made wheat tacos and heating them up, I think it’s still worth the extra time.
I like eating these wraps with a generous slather of cream cheese, shredded chicken, rich creamy avocado, cubed tomatoes and onions, sweet corn, and then garnished with chopped fresh parsley and shredded cheese.
They’re quick, delicious and might I say, finger-licking good.
GRAIN-FREE CHICKEN AVOCADO FLAXSEED WRAPS
(Makes 12 small wraps)
Inspired by: Wheat Belly Cookbook
Ingredients:
For the flaxseed wraps:
1) 12 tablespoons of ground flax seeds (also called “flax meal”)
2) 1 teaspoon of baking powder
3) 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or paprika powder)
4) A large pinch sea salt
5) 4 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil
6) 1 cup of water (or slightly more as the batter thickens)
7) 4 large eggs
For the filling:
8) 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked in boiling water, and shredded
9) 2 tomatoes, diced
10) 1 small onion, diced
11) 2 ripe avocados, sliced into even pieces
12) 1 cup of sweet corn
13) Cream cheese
14) ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley
15) Shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (optional, for topping)
Steps:
1) Mix all ingredients together and blend well.
2) Warm a little butter/vegetable oil in non-stick skillet.
3) Pour in about one ladle of batter and spread evenly across the bottom.
4) Cook for about 3 minutes, when wrap unsticks from the skillet, flip over to the other side, and cook until golden brown
5) Lift the edge with a spatula and slide onto a plate. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.
6) Spread the flaxseed wraps with the cream cheese, then pile on diced tomatoes, corn, onions, shredded chicken breast and sliced avocados. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and shredded cheese. Serve warm.
P.S. If you’re wondering why I’m trying to eliminate wheat from my life, I strongly recommend Wheat Belly – a book that will empower you and make you determined to get rid of wheat and it’s terrible health effects!
Leslie says
These sound great! I try to limit my grains and don’t combine certain foods due to having ulcerative colitis, and sometimes joint issues. Have you ever stored them or do you typically eat them all in one day? Do you think they would freeze?
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey Leslie! I’ve never tried freezing these wraps before (because the recipe usually makes 6-8 wraps and it can be finished within one or two days). But I believe there shouldn’t be any reason why you can’t freeze them! If you try them, let me know if you like them!
GiGi Eats says
OH YES! YUM! Seriously looks so delicious! 🙂 I am going to need to try this however Flax Seed gets so addicting and then causes my stomach to blow up, ha ha!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey gigi! Never heard of flax seed causing bloatedness before, but it’s possible that we need to eat it in moderation!! Jaja. I’m sure 2 or 3 of these flaxseed wraps shouldn’t be a problem (unless you’re planning on eating 20 wraps at a time. then that would be an issue). Ha.
Kathryn says
Love the idea of these flaxseed wraps – I usually use corn tortillas for tacos but these sound like such a nutritious alternative.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey Kathryn, these flaxseed wraps will take a bit more time than corn tortillas, but i like the idea that they can be more with so few ingredients and are easy to make on the stove top!