Someone asked for my fajita recipe and I’m happy to share although it’s really simple:
I use either skirt steak or chicken breasts, and usually both 
! I cook the meat either on a grill (when I was in Texas) or in the skillet (here in New York). I marinate the meat beforehand in either a little lime juice, orange juice or sometimes Italian dressing, the latter being my husband’s favorite. With the juices, I usually add salt and pepper. About thirty minutes will do it.
I cook the meat (with the barest amount of oil if it’s the skillet) whole and cut it into strips after it’s cooked.
For the onions and peppers, I use a yellow onion cut into strips and usually a green and either red or yellow bell pepper also cut into strips (the extra color looks really nice). I either steam them in water in a separate skillet (with the lid on, until soft) or sometimes I use the marinade to cook them—still basically steaming.
Serve sliced meat and drained peppers and onions with warm flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole and, if you’re my husband, jalapeño slices.
Robert’s Guacamole Recipe:
Two avocados –soft to the touch (you should be able to push your thumb into the skin and leave an indentation)
One small white onion (chopped)
Two small tomatoes (plum work best—less water) (chopped)
A clove of garlic (or two) (minced)
Splash of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
One to two tablespoons salsa depending on your preference (I like it best without the salsa—R likes it best with two tablespoons.)
Peel the avocados and mash. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Test with a chip or two to adjust the flavors as needed. Then enjoy!!!
How about you? What’s your favorite Mexican recipe? What do you like to fix for a summer outdoor meal? Or a picnic party?
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Funny! I am having nachos with the leftover taco stuff we had at the weekend for dinner tonight!
I love how simple things can be. I prefer to make my own ‘meat sauce’ for tacos and fajitas. Just like salsa, everyone has their own great recipe.
Brown meat, add (depending on how much meat and how much spice you want) teaspoon to tablespoon of ground cumin, ground cilantra/coriander, paprika, a dash of garlic powder and a dash of liquid smoke if you want the smoke flavour. I found this tastes better than the packets you buy to flavour the meat.
When I cook fajitas, I prefer to cut everything up first. Just works best for my family.
Salsa is too simple. Basic salsa is tomatoes that are diced (roma with the seeds removed is best!) and cilantra/coriander. People add from there lime juice green peppers onions mango pineapple jalapeno and two billion other yummy tidbits.
I also love love love cerviche but I think that is more Caribbean than Mexican.
Fresh fish cut into chunks, add coriander/cilantra, diced onion and tomato and green pepper. Fresh juice from limes/lemons, bag and fridge. Every hour or two give a shake. Its ready the next day. The lime (or lemon) juice is an acid and ‘cooks’ the fish. No heat needed! Really good on toast points or bruschetta. Or over pasta or if its diced enough scoop with tostitos.
All of it sounds fantastic. Liquid smoke rocks. I use it for my indoor brisket… the things you do when you can’t cook outside!
I have to beg mom to mail me liquid smoke. Unless I ebay it I cannot find it here!
I’m not a big fan of the liquid smoke, but in moderation is okay. I agree that the meat seasoning packets are awful, so high sodium. Much better to make your own spice mix.
I love anything Mexican! I make my fajitas almost the same but I use a fajita seasoning while cooking the meat in the skillet. I also do a quick quesadilla recipe with leftover grilled chicken (or you could cook up some fresh chicken breast) add to a skillet with taco seasoning, peppers and onions. In another skillet, warm up a tortilla and flip it once. Add the some of the mixture to half of the tortilla, top with some smooth taco sauce to taste and cheese. Fold over the tortilla and flip once to get it golden on both sides (can be tricky). Repeat with the rest until you run out of mixture. Slice in half and serve with sour cream and/or guacamole. Enjoy!!!
Yum. Love quesadillas! Yours sound fabulous.
Favorite mexican recipe is really… everything. Soft tacos, guac, queso (yes, Velveeta and Rotel), nachos… all is heavenly, and goes fast at the dinner table.
Amen, Kathleen. I’m an “all of the above” gal myself. I like to make grilled beef or chicken quesadilla, too.
Yummmm. Too early for all of this food talk!
I’m back on plan as of today but boy did I eat a lot of cheese-dip on my vacation. There is a place in Hot Springs called Taco Pronto– and both the cheese dip AND the tamales were beyond good. Went twice actually!
Yeah, back on plan here too. Wish it were easier.
Tell me about it. Don’t even want to think what I gained back with all the eating over the past week..but man was it good!
Tots unfair. Hunger pains at 9:59AM!!! Recipes sound delicious. I have never actually done “real” fajitas, but we do chix tacos a lot. However, I suspect this will now change. We are very much a guacamole family. Lots of onion and tomatos for us!
We grilled chix and steak kabobs yesterday and they turned out really awesome. Basic mesquite marinade, with peppers, mushrooms, and pineapples. Although now, after staring at the dish above, I’m thinking we should have added some oniions. as well.
Onion to me is as much a basic as salt and pepper in most dishes. And on kabobs definitely fab!
Love the simple Guac receipe!!
It is really good, too! Had it last night (along with fajitas of course!)
Mmm, guacamole! I love it! Thanks for sharing, Dee. We had pizza with family on Sunday, because we were celebrating the son’s birthday and pizza is our family birthday tradition for him. He was the first grandchild on both sides and lots of family showed up at the hospital when he was on the way. I was in labor for quite some time and the family had a pizza party in the waiting room while waiting.
But normally, I love to grill… marinated chicken breasts, always good. Or nice thick steaks. Sometimes fish and veggies.
Yum to all of that. And what a lovely tradition!!!!!
Yes. Still trying to accept that I have a 21 year old son. Husband and I took him out to dinner a few days post-birthday and he said “Oh, I forgot. I can order alcohol now.” Hahaha. He got a beer just because he could. But he’s not really into drinking, so not such a big deal for him. Big deal for me because I feel that much older now.
Oh, yum! You’re making me hungry. And I wish I’d thought to call you last month when I cooked fajitas for the very first time! They did turn out fabulously (if I do say so myself) but there was much stress in the Kenner household about whether or not to cook whole and then cut or cut and then cook!
I’ve done both, works either way for me.
It does work both ways! I just think it’s easier and the meat tends to be more tender (especially the skirt steak) when I cook it whole.