Fan-freaking-tastic Fajitas

Do you ever start out cooking a meal that is just alright, then it morphs into something unbelievable? That is what happened tonight. I had no plans for writing a blog post on dinner tonight, I was actually pretty tired and just trying to get something decent and healthy on the table…I wasn’t in the mood to actually ‘create’. That is what makes these fajitas “Fan-freaking-tastic Fajitas”, not just plain old fajitas.

I’ve mentioned before that I get inspired by the vegetable selection in spring and summer, well sometimes I get inspired by the vegetable selection in my fridge too. That is why I always try to keep plenty of fresh fruits and veggies on hand…it’s much easier to come up with a good idea for dinner when you have lots of options. So, looking in my fridge I found several sweet peppers, some scallions, three avocado, grape tomatoes, romaine lettuce, limes, lemons, and sweet yellow onions. Color me inspired!!

Fajita Seasoning:

• 2 lbs lean sirloin steak with all fat trimmed off and cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 TBL lime zest and the juice of three limes
• Juice from one large lemon
• 1 TBL almond oil (extra virgin olive oil can be substituted)
• 1 TBL cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

Add all ingredients to a large Ziploc bag, removing all extra air before closing. Massage the spices into the meat through your Ziploc and set aside to marinate for 30-45 minutes.

While your meat is marinating, slice up as much peppers and onions as you can get your greedy little hands on! I had a bag of small, snack-size sweet peppers that are PERFECT for so many things…but particularly for ‘Fan-freaking-tastic’ Fajitas. I julienned 9 of the small peppers and 3 small yellow onions and threw them into a saute pan with a dash of almond oil and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Turn the heat to medium and let those babies sizzle away until they soften and begin to brown (caramelize). Once done, remove from heat and set aside to toss with the fajita meat after it is removed from the grill.

Once you get those veggies sizzling, you can start on your guacamole. The guacamole is as important as the meat in these fajitas…it adds the ‘freaking’ into ‘Fan-freaking-tastic’.

Freaking Awesome Guacamole:

• 3 ripe avocados, diced
• one small bunch of scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
• Juice from 2 limes and 1 lemon
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients into a small bowl and chill until ready to serve. Note: Sometimes I like to make a ‘creamy’ guacamole; to do this, just add 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt and mix well.

Okay, back to the meat…

I’m sure you noticed that I used sirloin steak rather than skirt steak. The main reason I did this…I didn’t have skirt steak, I had sirloin…no mystery there. I just try to use what is on hand as often as possible. You are welcome to use skirt steak, it is the traditional beef cut used for fajitas, but I will tell you that this; the sirloin was so juicy and tender…it soaked up the flavors of the marinade like a sponge!!

I sliced the meat into strips before cooking because I wanted the marinade to flavor the meat evenly, and I wanted the citrus juice to tenderize the meat. The only problem with this method is that it makes it hard to grill…unless you have a grill basket of course. If you don’t have a grill basket, you really should get one! Not just for this, but grilling fish and veggies too…it makes grilling so simple!

Make sure your grill is heated to 400° and throw the marinated steak in your grill basket (or whatever) and close the lid. Don’t even peek at it for at least five minutes, let that heat sear the juices into your steak before you touch it!! After 5-7 minutes, open up your grill and stir the meat around a bit and cook 4-5 minutes longer. Note: These cooking times are approximate, grill temps vary. Cook your meat to an internal temp of 155° before removing. If you do use a skirt steak, cooking directions will likely be different; check directions for cooking skirt steak before beginning.

Here is the coup de grace:

Instead of using flour tortillas…or any tortillas for that matter, I cut the ends off of a head of romaine lettuce and we used the lettuce leaves to hold the fajita ingredients. It was UNBELIEVABLE. I’m not kidding, I don’t usually like fajitas, they are always heavy feeling. I think it was the tortillas that were holding me back…they took away from the flavor of everything else, buried it under the bland flour taste. The romaine lettuce let you taste everything…the spices and citrus in the marinade, the buttery flesh of the avocado, the sweet caramelized vegetables, and the sharp tang of cheddar cheese. It also added a fresh crunch and didn’t fall apart when biting the fajita…perfect! The best part is that this recipe is so light and healthy! You get loads of fresh vegetables, good fats, no carbs , and it’s gluten-free!!

Enjoy and Eat Well!!