This past week I started a gluten-free experiment. All of the pasta, bread, tortillas and cereal I consumed lacked gluten.  Not because I have Celiac Disease or an intolerance, but because I know I have a lot of readers that do.  I wanted to know how hard it was to eat gluten-free.  I wanted to know if it took more time to prepare meals.

Part of me felt bad for the gluten-free community.  Being excluded from eating any type of food is sad to me.  I get to enjoy most foods without side effects (except milk).  To be told no more pasta or bread would be pure torture for me.  Or so I thought.

Honestly after doing my little experiment I no longer feel sorry for them.  I actually feel sorry for anyone who hasn’t tried the gluten-free products.  I made a brown rice pasta rigatoni with pesto, and my entire family devoured it.  CT (my little guy), even asked to take it to school for lunch.  The cutie next to him went home and told her mom she wanted that for lunch too.  Needless to say it was a huge hit.  No one missed the gluten.

The brown rice pasta has a smooth texture that rivals it’s gluten filled counter part.  The taste is slightly nutty, and pairs great with any sauce.

Even though brown rice contains a modest amount of protein, the high quality lysine does it’s job perfectly.  The protein repairs and build muscles.

The fiber in brown rice is hard to digest, so all of the bad stuff is dragged out of the body with it.  Think of fiber as as the nightclub bouncer, toxins as the unruly club goers.  When the bouncer realizes the toxins are doing harm to your body, they grab hold and don’t let go till they, um, well, exit your body.  (Women should be consuming 25 grams of fiber per day.  Men should be consuming 38 grams daily). 

My next experience with a gluten-free product, was brown rice tortillas.  I didn’t even know they existed till a recent Trader Joe’s trip.  I was in the tortilla aisle searching for a healthier option.  I grabbed the last package and read it’s stats.  At 24 grams of carbs for one, I wasn’t sold.  I put them back and made another lap around the store.  When I came back around to the tortilla section there was a ruckus.  Customers were extremely upset that the brown rice tortillas were gone.  They wouldn’t be back till the next day.  I’m a middle child and hate to be left out of the fun, so the next day I went back and got some.

I really didn’t think I was going to like them.  When I pulled them out of the package there was a rubbery type feel to them.  Scared me a little bit.  But, then a bright figurative light bulb went on.  I had just made a home made enchilada sauce,  I would make enchiladas with the rubbery discs.  Yeah, I know how that sounds, but keep reading.

When I rolled the first enchilada, the light bulb started to flicker and dim.  The rubbery little suckers completely fell apart!  I started feeling bad for the gluten-free community again.  How could they live in a world where enchiladas were an impossibility.  It just wasn’t fair.  So I did what I normally do when a recipe doesn’t go as planned, I stared blankly at everything.

Whilst staring at the broken tortilla, with all it’s insides spilling all over the cutting board, the solution hit me. The light shone brightly again, and my feelings of sadness left as fast as they came.  I rebuilt that enchilada into a casserole, tearing up the tortilla, and layering the ingredients.

What I ended up with was a gluten-free, protein filled masterpiece.  After baking it, the tortillas were no longer rubbery.  They were delicious!  When I tallied the nutrition facts I was excited to see that the meat and beans gave the dish a whopping 21 grams of protein.  The tortillas added a nice 4 grams of fiber.

The entire casserole was gone by lunch time the next day.  Yes, all 8 servings, split between my husband and I for 3 consecutive meals.  It will most definitely become a regular on the dinner rotation.

And seriously, never buy a can of enchilada sauce again.  It only takes 10 minutes to make your own, and you can’t beat the taste of a fresh sauce.

So hurry, run to Trader Joe’s and grab brown rice tortillas.  I hear they move off the shelf rather quickly.

Recipe

1 lb. organic ground beef

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can of organic black beans, preferably low-sodium

1/2 cup part skim cotija cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 – 6 brown rice tortillas

2 green onions, chopped (optional)

1 large tomato, diced (optional)

Enchilada sauce

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup Hatch chili powder (or regular chili powder)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.

Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, and garlic powder into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

Enchilada Casserole

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat brown the beef, and drain the fat.  Return back to skillet.  Lower heat to medium-low, and add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin.  Stirring frequently cook till onions are translucent.

Stir in the black beans into the meat mixture.

Put 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan.

Tear up the tortilla into large pieces, and cover the enchilada sauce.

Sprinkle half of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas.

Layer half of the cotija onto the meat.

Layer half of the remaining sauce onto the cotija.

Repeat the tortilla, meat, cheese, sauce layering again.

Sprinkle with the cheddar, then the olives.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish each slice with tomatoes and green onions.

Servings: 8• Size: 1/8 of casserole • Calories: 383• Fat: 22g • Carb: 31g • Fiber: 4g • Protein: 21g • Sugar:  2g • Sodium: 548mg • Cholesterol: 62mg