Fajitas, a dish after my own heart

Well a few more days have passed than I planned on, but I'm just as excited to share how I made the great fajitas I mentioned in the It's not all good post. For a change, and to try out some veggie protein options from Trader Joe's, I based this one off of their beef-less strips. (By the way, it's a private label product, and I have to wonder if these strips are indeed Gardein.)

Great side ideas for this dish are pinto beans, black beans, rice, chips with guacamole and/or salsa. We had guacamole and slow cooker pinto beans.  It was lots of yummy food that was easy to prepare--and totally helped encourage Trying Veggie for my entire family (we were soured by a few too many lack-luster meals).


Anyway, it was a glorious meal, though I have just one regret. I should have marinated the strips before I cooked them. Next time. Here's what I did:

Fajitas
Ingredients:

• ~1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 red peppers, sliced into strips
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ~1/2 teaspoon cumin
• dash of red pepper flakes
• dash of ground coriander (if you have it)
• salt and pepper
• 1 package Trader Joe's Beef-Less Strips  
• splash of water
  
• cilantro and fresh lime (for serving)
• tortillas (flour or corn)
  

Preparation:
Warm about 2/3 of the oil over medium-high heat and cut the beef-less strips into thinner slices, about the size of the onion and pepper. 

Once the pan is hot, add the pepper and onion. When the onion is turning translucent, add the garlic, cumin, pepper flakes, coriander, salt and pepper. Mix well and let cook a few minutes, until the onion is starting to lightly brown.

Push veggies to the edges of the pan, add the remaining oil to the middle, and saute the beef-less strips--turning when they start to brown. Once both sides have color, mix the strips and veggies together.

When the veggies are done to your liking, add a splash of water to the pan to deglaze it (I used liquid from the beans I was cooking). Mix it all well to evenly coat all ingredients with the seasonings from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Serve in warm tortillas with cilantro and a squeeze of lime. 

(TIP--Warm flour tortillas in the microwave by placing between wet paper towels for ~30-60 seconds, depending on how many you are heating. Warm corn tortillas dry--they are more delicate and will hold up better without adding moisture.)

Enjoy!

Lentil burgers with carrot, onion and cilantro

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a med onion (~1/4 cup finely chopped onion)
• 1 med carrot (~1/4 cup grated carrots)
• 3 cups cooked lentils, pulsed to a mash in food processor (mashed)
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• dash of chili powder
• pinch of cumin
• 1-2 tsp pinskey's shallot pepper
• salt to taste
• oil to saute veggies and patties

Preparation:

Put carrot and onion into food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  (No food processor?  Give your arm a good work out--finely chop the onion and grate the carrot.)

Saute onion and carrot in oil over med high heat until tender and caramelizing, about ten minutes. Add a splash of water or veggie stock to get up any golden bits.

Combine the onion carrot mixture with the rest of the ingredients (no oil).

Take large handfuls of the mixture at a time and form into patties.  Cook in a lightly oiled frying pan until nicely browned on both sides (and heated through) ~ten minutes.

Enjoy with your choice of toppings and bread!