Fajitas

I made these fajitas with chicken breasts, but they can also be made with a lean cut of beef like flank steak. I often omit the meat altogether to make a vegetarian version. This dish could be one of my personal all time favorites. It combines ease of preparation, healthy ingredients, and great taste. Tomatillos aren't a commonly known vegetable, but they're excellent in this dish. They're pictured below, along with a red pepper, an anaheim chili, garlic and onion. The papery husks are easily removed, then the entire tomatillo can be chopped and added to the fajita mixture.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, about 1/2 pound meat total
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup vertically sliced onion
1 anaheim chile pepper, sliced crosswise
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 red pepper, vertically sliced
4 tomatillos, husked and chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1/2 fresh lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 tortillas
tomato salsa
grated cheese

Directions: Slice chicken breast into 1/4 slices, then cut slices into 1/4 inch widths - so that the resulting pieces of chicken are about the size of french fries. Heat oil in a skillet. Add chicken and cook until the pieces lose their pink color. Push to the sides of the pan. Add onion, peppers, tomatillos, and garlic. Cook until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir to combine chicken with vegetables. Squeeze in fresh lime juice and add cilantro. Soften tortillas by heating a second non-stick skillet. Heat each tortilla for approximately 1 minute per side until soft and pliable. Make fajitas by filling a tortilla with 1/4 of the meat and vegetable mixture and topping with salsa and some grated cheese.

Serves 2

This recipe is easily doubled or more, depending on the number of diners.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Read the label when you're purchasing tortillas. Some of them are still made with lard, not the best product for a healthy diet. However, there are some excellent healthy brands. I find some organic ones for a good price at my farmer's market. I've also had some excellent ones from the store (along with some not so excellent ones). A brand I find here that's consistently good is made by La Tortilla Factory. Their Smart & Delicious Original is pretty tasty.