"wraps" news and stories

Smoothies won't be the only thing on Jamba Juice's menu beginning Monday.

We knew that Jamba had dabbled with oatmeal and boasted a secret menu, but now the chain will begin selling a full lineup of wraps, sandwiches and salads at 222 California locations on June 15. A nationwide rollout of the "Grab and Go" line will follow later this year.

When I watch too much TV, I crave Taco Bell. A primitive neuron deep within my brain stem fires. Within days, if not minutes, I find myself running to the border.

Normally when I'm in the mood for Mexican, I settle for nothing less than homey soft corn tortillas. Best case scenario: Standing at a taco truck downing a double layer of lard-griddled goodness topped with carnitas, cecina or al pastor, while cilantro-and-onion-infused reddish grease threaten to ruin my outfit.

To make their way into my kitchen supermarket tortillas must pass a strict test. The package needs to showcase the words "tortilleria" and "hermanos" and bear an address within a 45-minute drive from my humble abode. I never purchase "tortillas" that bear the dreaded word "wrap."

Hopefully the above rant explains my issue with a recent article on tortilla sales. I have no beef, cecina or otherwise, with citing 2002 Tortilla Industry Association stats that rank the delectable discus just behind white bread. I understand that those figures are no doubt the latest digits. Perhaps, I'm jonesing for pork and lard, but I was put off by what I found to be a puff piece for Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas, which earned top honors from Men's Health's for wraps. But who am I to say, maybe Tumaro's pineapple flavored tortilla will hit Taco Bell just after I've maxed out on Seinfeld reruns.

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After acquiring a really tasty bottle of dipping sauce from Trader Joe's this week, I realized that Asian wraps, rolls and other dipable items are found in takeout containers more often than they are made in the home kitchen. Not that there is anything wrong with that, of course, especially if you know a good takeout place, but making the food is part of the fun of eating. This is especially true of finger (or chopstick) foods.

Asian Wraps & Rolls uses easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorials and techniques to walk you through the process of making these fun foods at home. The book spends a lot of time going over ingredients, some of which may be unfamiliar to you, as well as popular sauces and condiments, before getting into wrap construction. Recipes include Warm Mango and Shrimp Rolls, Wok Fried Wontons, Vegetable Spring Rolls and Pork and Betel-leaf Wraps, just to name a few. Once you have the basics, you can always use the methods used in this book to branch out and try your own flavor combinations.

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As Nicole already mentioned, you can get a lot of picnic mileage out of simply prepared fresh vegetables. Another way to get a salad to your picnic without the hassle of bowls, forks and dressings is just to wrap it up in a tortilla or other flat-bread. Lately I'm fond of making wraps with hummus or soft goat cheese topped with peeled carrot, cucumber, tomato, dill, spinach and lemon juice. The main thing to keep in mind is the water content of what you're wrapping. Seed things like tomatoes and cucumbers first, and if you plan on using a dressing, go easy. Bringing along a lemon to squeeze into the wraps at the last minute will help keep the tortillas dry.