Chicken Tinga Tacos with Cauliflower Tortillas
Tacos = yes; unnecessary calories and carbs from tortillas = no
I'm always looking for ways to get more veggies into my diet and reserve the carb intake for baguettes and pasta. So, I've been really curious about alternative ingredients for tortillas besides corn and flour. Then, I had the thought of using cauliflower, which I've been really into as rice. Cauliflower turns out to work really well for tortillas. Below is my take on cauliflower tortillas.
No one wants to eat plain tortillas...I paired mine with my favorite chicken tinga filling. I learned how to make the chicken tinga from one of the cooking classes at the International Center, where I work. It's my go-to taco filling because it tastes incredible. The dish introduced me to chipotle pepper and I've been obsessed with it since then. The smokiness gives it a great unique flavor. Whenever I'm feeling extra motivated to eat a healthy meal, I'll have chicken tinga in a taco salad.
Without further ado, here are the cauliflower tortillas and chicken tinga recipes.
Cauliflower Tortillas
Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower
1 egg
Turmeric
Garlic powder (optional)
Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Cut the cauliflower into florets. Using a food processor, finely chop the florets until it becomes really grainy, like quinoa.
Microwave the cauliflower for 3 minutes in a bowl. Remove it, stir, and microwave for another 2 minutes.
Put the chopped cauliflower into a clean kitchen/tea towel and squeeze it to extract as much moisture as possible. Don't worry about crushing the cauliflower. The drier you get it, the better; otherwise, you'll end up with a soggy mixture for the tortilla.
In a bowl, mix the cauliflower, egg, a pinch of turmeric, garlic powder, and salt.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Now, start making your tortillas! Depending on how large and thick you want your tortillas to be, scoop out 1/8-1/4 cup of the cauliflower mixture onto the baking sheets. Then flatten it into a round disc. I used my hands and made mine as thick as a regular tortilla.
Bake for about 10 minutes then gently flip them over and bake for another 5 minutes. They should look like regular tortillas when they're done. Soft and pliable.
Chicken Tinga
Ingredients:
For the chicken
1 lb chicken breast
½ small onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk with leaves
1 handful fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
10 black pepper corns roughly crushed
For the sauce
2 medium tomatoes
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (or more if you want it really spicy)
¼ medium white onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
½ medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 clove finely crushed
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
Cook chicken in water with the rest of the ingredients to make stock. When done, set it aside to cool. Remove the chicken and shred. Discard the vegetables from the stock and strain. Save the stock for other uses. Set chicken aside.
Blend tomatoes, chipotle chile, garlic, and onion.
In a pan, heat olive oil and sauté the sliced onion. Add the sauce and spices and simmer. Add the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with the cauliflower tortillas and top with guacamole, pico de gallo, or other salsa, and cilantro.