Avocado Tomato Wraps

Last day of school. The twins finished seventh grade. Sofia finished sophomore year. Diego is officially no longer enrolled in any school until August twenty-fifth, when he becomes a college student. The household has shifted into summer mode. The mornings are slower. The afternoons are longer. The kids stay up later. The food rotation expands.

I made breakfast tacos Friday morning to celebrate the end of school. Eggs, chorizo, potatoes, cheese, salsa, fresh tortillas from the comal. The twins ate three each. Sofia had two. Diego had four. Lisa had one. I had two. The kitchen was loud at seven a.m. on a Friday for the first time in weeks. The radio was on. Lisa was in her scrubs preparing to leave for a shift. The twins were planning their summer day — they had three things they wanted to do that did not overlap.

Saturday Lisa was off and we sat on the patio for a long time in the morning. The June Colorado morning is one of the great mornings on earth — sixty-eight degrees, sun, the shadow of the cottonwood, the herbs in the planters. Lisa had her coffee. I had my coffee. We did not talk for the first thirty minutes. Then we talked about the summer. Then we talked about the future Sundays. Then we talked about the move to Las Cruces, which we have been talking about more often, and which is becoming more of a real plan than an abstract one. Not yet. But the timeline is starting to take shape. We are not going to move while the kids are in school. We are going to wait until the twins graduate high school in 2031. That gives us six more years in Denver. Six more years of football. Six more years of Lisa's ER. Six more years of patio dinners and snow days and breakfast burritos and breakfast tacos and the rhythm we have built. Six years. Then home.

Lisa said, "Carlos. Can you wait six years." I said, "I can wait six years." She said, "Good. Because I cannot move before the twins are out of high school." I said, "I know." She said, "I am not your mother. I am not asking you to move now." I said, "I know. Six years." She said, "Six years." We held hands. The road bends. Feed your people. The game is won at the table.

The breakfast tacos on Friday were a full-house production — chorizo, eggs, potatoes, the works — because the end of a school year deserves that kind of effort. But the Saturday that followed, sitting on the patio with Lisa and the cottonwood shade and coffee going cold in the cup, called for something quieter. These Avocado Tomato Wraps are that kind of food: fresh, unhurried, and exactly right for a morning when you’re not in a rush to be anywhere, just present for the people across the table.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
2 ripe avocados, pitted and sliced
2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh spinach or romaine, roughly torn
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking spray, for warming tortillas

Instructions

Season the avocado. Slice the avocados and place them in a bowl. Add lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss gently to coat without mashing — you want the slices to hold their shape inside the wrap.
Prep the vegetables. Dice the tomatoes and drain any excess liquid on a paper towel. Thinly slice the red onion. Tear or chop the spinach or romaine. If using cilantro, chop it now and set aside.
Warm the tortillas. Heat a dry skillet or comal over medium heat. Warm each tortilla for 30 to 45 seconds per side until pliable and lightly toasted. Keep warm under a clean kitchen towel while you assemble.
Assemble the wraps. Lay a warm tortilla flat. Layer spinach down the center, then avocado slices, then tomato and red onion. Scatter cilantro over the top if using. Season with a small pinch of extra salt if desired.
Roll and serve. Fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll from the bottom up, tucking firmly as you go. Slice in half on a diagonal and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Avocado Tomato Wraps — Fresh and Simple, Like the First Morning of Summer