Fajitas a la Katie!

Per a wonderful reader's request, I shall leave you this week with a recipe for fajitas! Fajitas a la Katie!

(Please notice that I am using the same picture from yesterday's post. CREATIVE!)

Of course, there really isn't anything too "a la Katie" about my fajitas, seeing as the ingredients are pretty generic and I don't have any kind of special sauce or anything. But, you know. I'll take it! A la Katie! We eat these once a week and I love them because I can prepare them in the morning or whenever I have some free time, and then refrigerate them until it's time to cook. Great!

Fajitas a la Katie

Servings: Depends on how huge you prefer your servings

(AKA: We make a lot, eat some for dinner, and eat the rest for lunches.)

You will need:

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 green pepper

1 orange pepper

1 lime

Fajita seasoning (Here are your options: Grab a handy dandy packet at the store or make your own. I like to use a pinch of cumin, a pinch of cayenne, and black pepper.)

1 package chicken breast tenderloins

1 flank steak

Also:

1 package tortillas

Shredded cheese (I like to buy a huge hunk of cheddar [yes, cheddar!] and shred my own)

Black beans

Rice ... white, brown, Mexican, Santa Fe, whatever

Sour Cream

Guacamole*

Salsa**

Firstly! Rinse the chicken, cut the fat, and slice into strips. Then, take your flank steak and slice it into strips as well (be sure to trim against the natural grain of the steak--you'll know what I'm talking about once you buy it). Take said strips of meat and set aside, or store them in an air-tight container and refrigerate until you need them. If it is going to be a while until you use them, go ahead and add a dash of olive oil into the container, along with your fajita seasoning, so the meat can marinate.

Secondly! Rinse your peppers and slice them into thin strips, tossing the seeds and the core. If you like it hot, add a bit of jalepeno. My husband likes jalepenos. I prefer sweet peppers. Set the peppers aside as well. I typically do this in the morning and refrigerate everything (meat and peppers should be in two separate containers), so my evening preparation is quick!

*Guacamole! If you'd like to make guacamole, it's super easy. Take three avocados, peeled and diced, and mash them in a bowl with a fork. Add half of a diced tomato, some salt and pepper, and some lime juice (go ahead and squeeze half of the lime you're using for the fajitas directly into the bowl). If you want some spice, dice up a jalepeno or habenero pepper and toss those in, too! Voila! Homemade guacamole without all of the store-bought sodium!

**Salsa! If you'd like to make your own salsa, again, it's easy. I like mine to have more of a pico de gallo texture, so that is more of what you are going to get with this recipe, rather than a red runny salsa. If you like red and runny, use a can of diced tomatoes, instead of a ripe whole tomato. You'll need a ripe tomato, onion (white, preferably), a bunch of cilantro, a jalepeno, and some lime juice. In your handy dandy food processor, dice the tomato, dice the onion, dice the (seeded and cored) jalepeno, a large pinch of the cilantro, and then squeeze in whatever you is left of the half of lime that you squeezed into your guacamole. Salt and pepper to taste. Yum!

Okay. When you are ready to make your fajitas, heat the skillet at medium-high heat. I use an electric dutch oven, but the stove top works fine, too. If your meat has been marinating with olive oil and seasoning, then just dump all of it in and you're good to go! If your meat has not been marinating, then pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into your skillet. I like to add my seasoning to the olive oil and then add my meat, but it's up to you when you'd like to season the stuff! Take that half of lime you have left and give it a good squeeze onto the meat.

Stir occasionally as the meat cooks, checking it often (you'll want it a little seared, so let it cook nice and hot). When the meat is done, lower the heat to low and add your peppers. Cover and let simmer. If you add the peppers from the get-go, they will get a bit soggy, and I'm more of a crispy pepper girl. Adding them at the end makes them soft enough to chew easily but still a bit crisp so you know you're eating a vegetable. Adding the peppers is always my favorite part, because it makes the meal suddenly very colorful. Which is a good thing!

Once the peppers are tender, turn off the burner and keep covered. Pop your tortillas in the microwave for ten seconds or so to warm them just a bit, or, if you have a steamer, you can toss the tortillas in a steamer for a few seconds to make them warm and pliable. Build your fajita using your meat/pepper mixture and your toppings (and your homemade guac and salsa!) onto your warm tortilla and Voila!

Fajitas for dinner. Delicious.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!