Pesto Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Wraps

Brown rice tortillas wrap it all up.

Wrap It Up, Y'all

Tortillas and sandwich wraps have always been a favorite around here. How simple can you get? Throw some deli, salad greens, tomatoes, avocado and dressing onto a soft flaky tortilla and boom. You've got a meal. A portable meal, in fact. Perfect for picnics. Customizable. Accommodating. And tasty as all get out. What could be easier? It's clear why savvy folks have gone wrap crazy.

Back in the early days of gluten-free, a gluten-free wrap is tough to come by. Your intrepid goddess at large has been mourning her wraps and lime infused burritos for quite a few sad and wrapless years now. And I'm sorry- those teff wraps you can sometimes find in the health food store? Please don't e-mail me about them. They smell so funky- like a gym sock used yesterday in some unspeakable act- although they do roll around a tube of fresh ingredients with a flexibility akin to the flour tortillas I vaguely recall. I might even try them again- if I can just get past the smell. Perhaps I could pinch my nose while munching.

The best gluten-free wrap I've tried is Trader Joe's brown rice tortillas. If you nab a package when they are piping fresh and pliable, you're in for a treat. The problem is, they turn stale faster than Madonna's reinventions. And far too often you tear open (what you thought was) a fresh package from your local Whole Foods only to cry slow tears of salty frustration when your much anticipated wrap falls apart and splits into an unappetizing melange du jour you sullenly eat with a fork.

Right about now you might be wondering if I've feverishly been testing wrap recipes and come up with a fail proof wheat-free tortilla worthy of a blog premiere as snazzy and hyped as a deb's coming out party. Sorry, but not today.

Although wraps are on my list of recipes to conquer, my revelation here is much more modest. So scale back your expectations, Dear Hearts. I'm feisty and determined, but also very Zen when it comes to conquering the hurdles in my gluten-free quest for deliciousness. I bake a little. Toss a little. I walk away for awhile and come back. Throw out $18.00 worth of ingredients. Pour a vodka martini (very dry by the way).

No, today's advice and recipe is simple and sweet. It originates not from moi, but from my fabulous son, Alexander. When he visited us this spring we made these wraps for our trips to Santa Fe. Alex's instruction?

Fire up your panini grill or grill pan on medium heat. Assemble and roll your sandwiches. Brush the filled wraps on the outside with a little olive oil.

Grill the wraps briefly with the edge side down. The rice wraps warm up and soften. The rolled edge fuses shut. They behave!

I love it when I learn from my kids. Is there anything on Earth more thrilling than learning from your children? I think not. And lucky you.

You get the recipe.

Pesto Bacon Lettuce + Tomato Wraps with Smoked Turkey

Posted by Karina 2008.

I am experimenting with wrap and tortilla recipes, but in the meantime, consider Alex's solution to the brown rice tortilla problem. Because, well. These are damn tasty.

Note to my vegan readers- I love you! You know I do. Ignore the bacon and turkey part and use your favorite BBQ flavored baked tofu.

You'll need, per person::

1 gluten-free brown rice tortilla wrap
3 slices of organic smoked turkey- we like Applegate Farms (gluten and casein free)
Dab of your favorite pesto- we like it with this vegan Cilantro Pesto
3 slices of cooked and crispy organic nitrate-free bacon- we like Applegate Farms
A handful of crisp organic baby lettuce greens- or herb mix
5 organic grape tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Olive oil, as needed

Instructions:

Heat up the panini grill or grill pan on medium high.

Meanwhile, lay your tortilla flat. Add the smoked turkey slices.

Schmear some pesto on the turkey.

Add the cooked bacon strips, baby greens, tomatoes.

Season with sea salt and pepper.

Roll up and lightly brush with olive oil.

Place gently on the grill and lower the top, but don't press hard (unless you want a squashed sandwich).

After two to three minutes, open the grill and turn the roll-up on its side (to keep it rounder and less flat); lower the grill top again- gently- and heat through- maybe three minutes.

Slice in half and consume with gusto- or wrap in foil for picnics. These wraps travel well in a cooler.

Serve with my Snappy Crunchy Coleslaw (egg, soy and dairy free).

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