Shredded Pork Tacos with Tear-Free Tortillas

We took almost three weeks off and went out the Outer Banks, NC to visit with family and relax on the beach. It was fantastic, and a much needed break. But now we've been home for a bit and it's time to get back into the swing of things. I've been struggling with menu planning. I just don't seem to want to put the effort into figuring out what we're going to eat. Unfortunately Tommy still needs to eat something, so not cooking is not an option. So we've been having some good standbys like Meatloaf, Carolina BBQ, and Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon.

The other day I picked up a big package of boneless country style pork ribs from Costco, so tonight we're having pork tacos. I served them with some Wholly Guacamole and a quick Pico de Gallo. Ben and I also had a little shredded cheese on ours. I was going to put some shredded lettuce on there too, but it turns out the lettuce in my fridge froze, so no lettuce for us. 

I really dislike making homemade tortillas from scratch. I just don't seem to have the technique down to be able to roll them thin enough for my taste and still be able to transfer them to the pan. I'm not quite ready to relive the frustration of making sorghum flour tortillas (read about my last attempt here). So my goal for tonight was to improve on my Millet Tortilla Pancakes and make a lighter tasting tortilla that can still be poured into the pan. 

I'm quite happy to announce that these were so successful! If you taste the tortilla by itself it tastes sort of like a pancake, but in a taco it's delicious. Very similar to the soft taco sized flour tortillas you can buy at the store. They are flexible and sturdy enough hold the filling. And best of all, they require NO ROLLING! This is the first time that I have made gluten free Tommy safe tortillas without any tears or cussing. A definite success. Yes, there is still room for improvement to make them a little thinner and a little less chewy, but my sanity is worth more than that. So for us, we're just going to relish the fact that I can make tortillas Tommy can eat without losing my mind.

I was in a hurry this morning to get out the door to meet a friend at the library, so I didn't bother measuring any of the spices for the pork. I just sprinkled the seasonings on the pork and turned on the crock pot. I used more of the smoked paprika, black pepper and cinnamon and less of the salt, cayenne and chipotle powder. If you want a pork recipe with actual measurements, try my Carnitas Tacos. Here's a picture of the raw seasoned pork to get a rough idea of how much seasoning I used.

Shredded Pork

~ 3 lb Country Style Pork Ribs (1/2 of a Costco pack)
Smoked Paprika
Black Pepper
Ground Cinnamon
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Chipotle Powder

1. Optional: Line crock pot with liner.
2. Place pork in crock pot. Sprinkle with the seasonings.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Shred the pork, removing any large pieces of fat. Use a gravy separator to remove most of the fat from the cooking liquid. Return the shredded pork and liquid to the crock pot and stir well.

Pico de Gallo

3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lime juice concentrate
1/4 tsp granulated garlic

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.

Tear-Free Gluten Free Tortillas

Makes ~14 Soft Taco Sized Tortillas

2 1/4 cup water, divided
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch
2 Tbsp mild flavored oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp whole psyllium husks
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a large bowl, combine the psyllium husks with 1/4 cup water and the oil. Whisk together to form a smooth gel.
2. Add the coconut milk, whisking to reduce lumps.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients until a smooth batter is formed. It should be quite runny.
4. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with oil. 
5. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the hot pan, gently swirling the batter once around the pan. Cook for a few minutes until bubbles form. Flip and cook for another minute or so until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter. 
6. Store the leftovers in a plastic bag with wax or parchment paper between the tortillas. I have a feeling they may stick together when they cool. Leftover tortillas will need to be warmed before eating.

Tilapia Tacos with Mango Salsa

Earlier this month we made our best fish tacos ever! Pan fried tilapia, mango salsa, diced avocado and flaxmeal tortillas.

My husband Ben is the master fish pan-fryer. We use a modified version of Melissa D’Arabian’s crispy fish recipe from the Food Network. Usually we dredge tilapia in wheat flour, salt and pepper and then fry it in canola oil. Since we wanted to make fish tacos Tommy can eat, this time we dredged the fish in coconut flour. It worked perfectly! The fish was nice and crispy and it didn't have an overwhelming coconut flavor.

The fish is very simple to prepare, but be forewarned. The oil tends to splatter a lot and your kitchen may smell like fish for a couple days. But it’s completely worth it!

This was my first attempt making tortillas and they were a little crumbly but pretty straight forward to make. I made the Paleo Flax Tortillas from Brittany Angell’s Real Sustenance. I think next time I will add a tablespoon of canola oil to the dough. The tortillas sort of have an odd taste if you eat them by themselves, but with all the other ingredients they were delicious!

Tommy gobbled up his taco and asked for more! We’ll definitely be making these again!

Pan Fried Tilapia

2 lbs tilapia fillets

¼ cup coconut flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

Canola oil

Combine coconut flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium high heat and add enough canola oil to cover the bottom. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the fish to the pan and cook for three minutes on each side. If they start to burn, turn down the heat.

Mango Salsa

2 mangoes, pealed and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ onion, diced

Juice of ½ a lemon

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl

Paleo Flax Tortillas

http://realsustenance.com/flax-tortillas-glutengrainstarcheggcornsoynut-free/