I hate to brag, but I have a minor in el espanol. You could tell that, couldn't you.
I can also get a taxi to take my mother-in-law, husband, and me from Mexico, D.F. (that would be Mexico City, to you, unless you're Mexican and thinking to yourself, "That girl has no idea what she's talking about." Feel free to correct me.) to San Miguel de Allende. Granted, it took a good hour longer than it should have, but it was a scenic ride filled with danger and intrigue and large trucks barreling toward us going 75 miles per hour.
During the ride the driver and I talked about tuna (because isn't that what you always talk about with your taxi driver?). Well, I thought we were talking about tuna. I called it "tuna" instead of "atun." He nodded politely, but he had to wonder why I was talking about a "group of student minstrels" or a "prickly pear."
Of course, when I was "studying" in Spain one summer, I did ask if it was possible to rent a nearby mountain.
That Spanish minor has definitely come in handy.
You'll be relieved to know that today's recipe requires neither atun, tuna, a prickly pear or a group of student minstrels. Although I hear they are tasty.
Today's recipe requires good old flank steak for FAJITAS! Que bueno!
You will need peppers, lots of peppers. Aren't they pretty? Slice them into strips.
and an onion, sliced.
Slice the flank steak diagonally, across the grain. There's a lot of slicing, I'm noticing. Watch your fingers.
Add together the following spices in a Ziploc bag. I have no affiliation with Ziploc, so it's not imperative that you use a brand name or off-brand or even a bag, for that matter, especially if you are trying to go plastic-free or some such thing. Somehow mix together the following, enough to coat however much flank steak you have.
Garlic powder, cumin, red pepper, salt, chili powder, and black pepper all showed up for picture day. They each got a comb and I called them funny names to make them laugh.
Or you could always use this:
Coat the flank steak with the spices.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak, onion, and bell peppers and cook until the steak is done.
Stir in lime juice. I didn't have any lime juice so I used lemon and frankly no one noticed any difference. Or were too polite to say anything.
On second thought, no one noticed any difference.
Heat the tortillas according to package directions. Divide the mixture evenly among the warm tortillas and roll up. Or, if you're like me, over-stuff them until all of the inside goop drips out the bottom and you're left with an empty tortilla in your hand and a "now what?" look on your face. If this should happen, just grab a fork. That's what they're for.
Serve with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro sprigs.
The original recipe is as follows and is from an old edition of
Cooking Light.
3/4 pound lean flank steak
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cups sliced onion
1/3 cup green pepper strips
1/3 cup red bell pepper strips
1/3 cup yellow bell pepper strips
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup nonfat sour cream
Commercial green salsa (optional)
Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Trim fat from steak. Slice steak diagonally across grain into thin strips. Combine steak and next 6 ingredients (steak through ground red pepper) in a zip-top heavy-duty plastic bag; seal bag, and shake well to coat.
Heat the tortillas according to package directions.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, onion, and bell peppers; saute 6 minutes or until steak is done. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Divide mixture evenly among warm tortillas, and roll up. Serve with sour cream. Garnish with green salsa and cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 4 services (serving size: 1 fajita and 1 tablespoon sour cream).
Calories: 330
Fat: 12.6 g
Fiber: 3.3g
Bon appetit!
Buen provecho!
