Cooking for Elaine: Mango Slaw and Whole Wheat Tortillas

I had plenty of time to contemplate my dinner as I sat at the local emergency animal clinic for 10 hours NOT seeing patients. While I never would wish any harm on the puppies and kittens of the greater Phoenix area, it sure is boring when they don't come in to see me!

But take a look at this cutie, a stray kitten brought in by a Good Samaritan. She has a stump for a rear leg but is otherwise perfect, and I had plenty of time to play with her while I was not busy sewing things up.

Ack! The Cuteness!

Tonight's dinner was inspired by smitten kitchen and my need to use up some mango and more of that Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Of course, in my effort to use up stuff in the refrigerator, I had to go to the store to buy a bunch of ancillary ingredients and equipment (including a new rolling pin), so I guess I failed at being frugal. I did, however, succeed in feeding myself quite well. I'll take what I can get.

Mango Slaw with Whole Wheat Tortillas, Chicken and Avocado

The slaw was terrific and made a ton. It's light and summery, and great eaten plain or with chicken and avocados as I've done here. I left the cashews out because I was using the slaw as a wrap filling, but were I to eat it plain, I would definitely add the cashews for some crunch.

I halved the slaw recipe and it made a good 6 cups.

The tortillas came from the Bob's Red Mill website, and I only made them so I could use some of my pastry flour. They were not difficult and the taste was good, but these were not tortillas. Once they cooked, they were crisp and almost like a cracker. I had intended to make pretty wraps from these, but ended up using them like a tostada or small pizza crust.

For the Slaw:
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and julienned
1 to 1 1/4 pounds Napa cabbage, halved and sliced very thinly (I used Savoy)
1 red pepper, julienned
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (I used a regular white onion)
6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, from about two limes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oil of your choice (I used half toasted sesame oil and half canola)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (or omit this and whisk in a chile paste to taste)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped (I omitted these)

1. Combine the mango, cabbage, red pepper, and onion in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
3. Toss the dressing, mint leaves, and cashews with the cabbage mixture and serve immediately.

For the Tortillas:
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 c water
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 T canola oil

1. Mix all the ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Let rest for 15 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 5 parts. Roll each part out into a very thin circle.