Years after they first burst onto the scene, I still love the simplicity and versatility of these things. I spread mine with an herbed cream cheese to make them extra wonderful.

Make the herbed cream cheese by combining the softened cream cheese with the chives, parsley, basil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Spread cream cheese in a thin layer over the tortillas. Lay ingredients down the middle of the tortilla: for the turkey rollup, use turkey, carrots, and cucumber. For a "salad" rollup, use lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Let the veggies extend past the edges on either side. Roll up the tortillas as tightly as they'll go, then wrap each rollup in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. To slice, cut each rollup exactly in half, then line up the two halves and cut them in half again. Stand the end pieces up so that the veggies stick out the top.

This ingredient shopping module is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on their web site.

whole Cucumber, Seeds Scraped Out And Julienned

1 whole Cucumber, Seeds Scraped Out And Julienned

The first time I ever had a tortilla rollup was in the nineties. My new-friend-at-the-time Hyacinth had made a bunch of the little numbers and brought them to a get-together to which I’d been invited. I didn’t know very many people at the get-together and I was so shy and nervous that I just stood in the kitchen next to Hyacinth’s Tupperware container and ate her tortilla rollups till I bloated.

Wasn’t that a beautiful story?

Even now, years later, I still love tortilla rollups. I can’t help it. You can fill them with whatever you want—lunch meats, lettuces, vegetables—and they’re ridiculously easy to make, not to mention highly portable.

I still eat them till I bloat, is what I’m trying to tell you.

First, I’ll make some yummy cream cheese spread because I want to, and because I want to. Slice up some green onions (or chop some chives if you have them)…





Then grab some parsley…





And mince it up.





Then grab some basil…





Roll it up tightly, then slice it into thin strips.

Zees ees called “cheefonawd.”





Throw it all in a bowl with a block of softened cream cheese.





Add some salt and pepper…





Squeeze in some lemon juice…





And stir it all together. Hyacinth used to stir chopped black olives and drained pimentos into her cream cheese, which positively rocked my world. Throw those in too, if you’d like!





Now set aside the cream cheese mixture and grab a carrot and a cucumber. I’m julienning the veggies, and I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to obtain a japanese mandolin at the earliest possible convenience. Ask for one for your birthday if you have one coming up, or ask for one for Father’s Day if you’re a member of the male species and have children. Or ask for one for Christmas, but tell your gift-givers that Christmas has been changed to May this year.

Oh, and if you get one…watch your fangers, okay?





Cut the carrots into matchsticks.

And if you don’t have a mandolin, just use a good knife and cut really thin sticks.





I julienned a cucumber, too. But I scooped out the seedy area because it was…

Well, it was seedy.





Purdy!





To make the rollups, plop a little herbed cream cheese onto a taco-sized flour tortilla.





Then spread it out…





Until it covers the entire surface.

I’ll tell you why later.





Next, lay a line of shaved chicken, turkey, ham, or roast beef: whatever your lunchmeat poison!

It’s best if you use shaved meat rather than neat, flat slices, because when you roll up the…well, the rollups, there won’t be big gaps inside. The shaved meat fills up more space.





Next, lay on plenty of julienned carrots, making sure they extend beyond both ends.

I’ll tell you why later.





Do the same with the julienned cucumber.





Then roll up the tortilla as tightly as you can…





And remember when I told you how important it was to spread the cream cheese all the way to the edge?





This is why. It holds the rollup together like glue.





Next, wrap the rollup in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for about an hour. This’ll allow the tortilla to slightly soften and will help the rollups stay together a little more.





Then just keep on making more rollups! I decided to do a veggie version: Grab some green leaf lettuce and slice away the spine.





Lay the lettuce down the middle…





Followed by carrots and cucumber.





Then slice an avocado in half, scoop it out with a spoon, and slice it into pieces.





Lay it down the middle…





Then roll it up as tightly as you can, wrap it in plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge.





While you’re chillin’ the rollups, spread some of the cream cheese on a whole wheat saltine cracker and eat it in 1.4 bites.

Repeat eleventy times.





When you’re ready to scarf down the rollups, remove them from the fridge and slice each one in half.





Then line up the two halves…





And cut them in half, too.





Lovely.





Here’s the veggie one.





Now, the old school method for tortilla rollups told you to cut off the two ends of the rollups first before you ever slice the rest of them up. But I love the way the ends look like sushi rolls.





Cute!





Some other ideas for fillings:

Blanched, cooled asparagus

Spinach leaves

Shaved ham, shaved roast beef

Red, green, or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

Peeled, cooked shrimp

Chopped black olives (stir it into the cream cheese mixture)

Enjoy these, guys! They’re a great, easy summer treat.