My Favorite Seared Fajitas - Plus a Tortilla Review

My Favorite Fajitas

These have been made in my home for many years, and we never tire of them. They are easy to make and very flavorful. The fresh lemon juice in the marinade is perfect. I have even let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 3 days before making. I did not do that on purpose, life just got busy. I imagine you could marinate the meat and freeze in serving-size packets for make ahead meals.

You can use any type of tortilla you want to. For this particular dinner we tried a new organic whole wheat flour tortilla. They are thinner than most tortillas, which I like. See the review for these tortillas at the end of this post.

For a gluten-free meal, make this a chicken fajita salad or use gluten-free tortillas (usually yucky though, I'm afraid). If you ever find a delicious GF tortilla, let me know.

Use vegan sour cream and cheese, if you are into that.

Of course you can vary your toppings too. Your favorite bottled salsa will do when tomatoes are not in season.

Oh Yeah. I ate 2 of these babies for dinner!

My Favorite Fajitas Recipe:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or beef

Marinade:

1 to 2 cloves garlic, smashed well
1 1/2 t.gluten-free seasoned salt (recipe on our blog)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. gluten-free chili powder
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. rice bran oil or light olive oil
2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fajita:

3 to 4 T. deodorized coconut oil
1 c. sliced onion
1 c. red bell pepper
1 c. yellow bell pepper
8 flour tortillas, of choice, warmed
2 avocados, sliced or mashed with onion salt, garlic powder, and lemon juice
1/2 c. chopped scallions
sour cream of choice (Reduced Fat Sour Cream Blend - recipe on this blog)
shredded cheese of choice
fresh salsa
fresh cilantro, minced


Method:

Cut the meat into thin strips (you may partially freeze for easier cutting).
Marinate the sliced meat in the combined marinade for 2 hours (even up to 3 days in fridge is o.k.)
Quickly saute the vegetables in coconut oil until lightly browned (sear them over med-high heat).
Remove vegetables from pan.
Saute the meat in coconut oil about 4 minutes.
Toss the meat with the vegetables and serve.
Spoon meat & veggie mixture into flour tortillas.
Garnish with avocado, sour sream, scallions, cheese, salsa, and cilantro as desired.


Tip:

I like the way restaurants serve fajitas seared and sizzling. Without having to grill the meat on an outdoor grill, this is what I do in my home kitchen:

I will often cook the meat in a large non-stick skillet while I am searing the vegetables in a well-oiled cast iron pan. I remove the vegetables and set aside. I drain the barely cooked meat, reserving the juices. I add the barely cooked meat to the well-oiled cast iron skillet and toss, to quickly sear it a minute or so. I then add the vegetables back to the skillet with the meat and toss to warm through. To finish the fajitas off, I pour the reserved juices over top. toss and serve.






Here are some photos of the fajita making process:

Thinly slice the partially frozen meat.

Meat and marinade ingredients before being well mixed together.

Vegetables being prepped.

Searing the peppers in a cast iron skillet.

Cooking the meat and vegetables separately to save time.

The onions are looking nicely seared.

Tossing the meat and vegetables together before serving.

My husband about to dig in!

Flour Tortilla Review:

Los Fortunitas Organic Flour Tortillas

My husband and I were on our regular Costco date, when we saw these being sampled. Of course we tried them. We bought them because they were organic whole wheat tortillas, and mostly because they are thin. I hate the thick, pasty white flour ones sold in stores. These actually resemble my favorite uncooked tortilla also sold at Costco, called Tortilla Land All Natural Fresh Uncooked Tortillas (Restaurant authentic). They are yum, but made with white flour, so we don't eat them very often.

I recommend gently warming these up before eating them, do not let them dry out. They are easier to use than the uncooked ones, which is nice. I like that they are healthier too. The texture of these tortillas is excellent. Finally, a whole wheat tortilla that doesn't taste like cardboard.

If I were to go on taste alone, these rank as my 2nd favorite tortilla that's sold in stores. If I were to consider nutrition too, this is my first choice.

Honestly, my mom's gluten-free tortillas rule, but they aren't sold in stores. Booo.

So there you go, my review is complete.

Enjoy!

Leila