I was intrigued by this after someone mentioned it on Facebook, looked up the recipe via Google and had a go.
They are gluten free, low fat and high in protein and fibre so I thought them worth a go. I'm glad I did.
Before I start, a word of Slimming World caution. My readers will know that I take certain elements of SW with a rather large pinch of salt. Tweaks, for example and this whole thing of pureed fruit not counting as free because you might 'eat too much of it'.
This recipe involves zizzing soaked lentils to a batter. SW says that because of this, they need to be synned.
I say what a load of old . . . er . . . I mean, how remarkably silly! Providing you are having a measured amount, and you are in this recipe, then there should be no problems and a couple of wraps contain fewer lentils than a portion of my carrot and lentil soup which has been blended and still counts as free.
See what I mean?
So, I've done the maths and the 150g of lentils that I used and which made eight tortillas of around 6" diameter, works out at 65 calories per wrap. That means two of these tortillas for the calorie equivalent of one wheat-based wrap, pitta or wholemeal roll.
Given that lentils are great for fibre, I'm being even more rebellious and counting two lentil tortillas as a healthy extra B.
But don't tell my group leader!
Here's what I did. The recip itself is at the bottom without all my extra comments. Just highlight it, Right click over the highlighted portion and select Print to print just that bit (should you want to).
You need 150g cup of split red lentils, 300mls water and a bit of salt and bit of pepper
Soak the lentils in the water and the seasonings for at least four hours. I left mine all day.
When you are ready, pop the whole lot in a food processor and blend it at highest speed until the batter is completely smooth and has gone a bit pink and foamy. Cover and leave for a short time.
To make, you need a very non stick pancake sized pan. Each tortilla uses about a quarter cup (40 mls) of batter and I have a very useful little ladle that delivers exactly that.
Heat your pan up really well. My hob settings range from 1 to 6 and I had it on 4.
When it's ready, spray with a bit of oil which should sizzle immediately. Pour one ladleful of batter into the middle of the pan and gently circle the back of the ladle to spread the batter out to the edges. It will start setting while you do this but that's fine. If you get any holes, just plug them with a bit more batter.
Then be patient. If you try to turn it before it's ready, it is the devil of a job to get your fish slice underneath and it will likely tear. Gently lift it around the edge with a spatula before carefully inserting the fish slice and working it through. If it seems to stick, stop and give it a bit longer. It's hard do describe but all I can say is when it's ready to turn, the slice will go right under fairly easily and you can lift and flip it. The cooked surface will have gone a gentle brown, a bit like a pancake really.
I was a bit nervous with the first one but quickly got into the swing of it and had no problems. You just have to give it time.
Place the finished tortilla on a plate and cover it to stop it drying out. I used easyleave. Spray the pan and start the next one.
I've tried one, just spread with dairylea (bit of a healthy extra) and folded into a semicircle and I thought it was very tasty indeed. It has a sort of nutty flavour and could be enhanced with spices. It's fairly neutral so I will try one with fruit at some point.
No photos yet as I've only made them once, but they will follow and I intend experimenting with other flavours/additions. I reckon anything you would make with an ordinary wrap/tortilla, you can make with this, flavour permitting.
To recap:
Ingredients to make eight tortillas
150g split red lentils
300mls water
(or a ration of 1:2)
salt and pepper
spray oil
Method:
Soak the lentils in the water and seasonings for at least four or five hours, or overnight.
Pour the lot into a blender and blend until the batter is smooth, a bit pink and foamy. Leave to rest for half an hour.
Heat a non stick pancake pan well.
Spray with oil and add 40 mls of the batter, flattening it our with the back of a ladel n a gentle circular movement.
Use a spatula to loosen the edges and then carefully insert a fish slice, gently working it through to theother side. If it stick, stop and give it a bit more time. When it comes away, flip it over and cook the other side (won't take long).
Remove from the pan and cover to prevent drying out. Repeat until batter is used up.
Use straight away or wrap and freeze.
