Sizzling Steak Fajitas

I love Mexican food. I guess Mexican food is particularly appealing to Indian palates because it is somewhat similar to Indian food and makes use of many of the same spices. JM wasnt particularly a big Mexican food buff, but seems like its undergoing a change nowadays. One of our favorite Mexican joints is the restaurant Chipotle which is basically a fastfood place where your order is assembled in front of you just like in Subway. I really savor the taste of each of the ingredients in their burritos and fajitas, especially the red chilli sauce that they pour on the fillings. Their cilantro-lime rice is just out of the world!

All these inspired me to try out this Steak fajita recipe though its not very similar to the ones in Chipotle, in its fillings. But nevertheless, it turned out to be very delicious, one worthy fo sharing with all of you!! It makes for a very colorful meal, and wuick to put-together too, with very satisfying results. I halved the recipe to yield 2 servings, which even then was plentiful! Dont be alarmed by the long list, it is just a very handy list of simple and easily available ingredients. Do try this out soon!

Recipe (Serves 4) :

Flank steak - 3/4 pound

Ground cumin - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Garlic powder - 1/8 tsp

Black pepper - 1/8 tsp

Ground red pepper - 1/8 tsp

Flour tortillas (8") - 4

Vegetable oil - 1 tsp

Sliced onion - 2 cups

Green bell pepper strips - 1/3 cup

Red bell pepper strips - 1/3 cup

Yellow bell pepper strips - 1/3 cup

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Fat-free sour cream - 1/4 cup

Green salsa - optional

Cilantro sprigs - optional

Method:

Trim fat from steak. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Combine steak and the next 6 ingredients in a large ziploc bag .

Seal bag and shake to coat.

Warm tortillas according to package instructions.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add steak, onion and bell-peppers.

Saute 6 minutes or until the steak is done.

Remove from heat, stir in lime juice.

Divide the steak mixture evenly among the tortillas and roll up.

Serve with sour cream.

If desired, serve with green salsa and garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Source: The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook.

Tips:

1. I used stew-cut beef instead of the flank steak.
2. I didnt have garlic powder, so I used a minced garlic clove.

Do let me know your thoughts and suggestions. Dont forget to update me on how this turned out for you!! Hope you all had a great Valentine's day!

Have a great day ahead!!

Cold tuna sandwich

We have had our share of visits to the sub-shop Subway, be it to grab a quick bite or to take home a big sandwich for dinner. The only way we would mostly eat raw vegetables is on a sandwich. When I try to eat salads, I use more dressing to offset the taste and I think I end up with more calories to burn than I would otherwise! I am not a big seafood buff, so I would always stick to the chicken/meat sandwiches. But JM would always order the cold tuna sandwich with his favourite vegetables (which is not many). So I had taken to recreating the sandwich at home with available supplies and has been pretty happy with it. Even I like the tuna sandwich since it doesnt taste very 'fishy'. This time I made it a little more elaborate since I would be sending this to the Sandwich festival 2008 at Anupama's Food-n-More. The sandwich festival would accept both veg and non-veg sandwich entries, so I had no trouble choosing the sandwich. You can always change the fillings to your taste and healthy eaters can skip the cheese and other dressings. I had a package of coleslaw vegetables (shredded cabbage and carrots) which I used as the basic vegetable filler, along with pickled banana peppers, olives, green bell peppers and american cheese on toasted french bread.

Recipe (Makes a footlong sandwich) :

French bread - 1 footlong

White chunky tuna in water - 1 can (6 oz)

Coleslaw mix - 1/2 cup

Mayonnaise/ Ranch - 1 1/2 tbsp

Olives - 8-10 nos, sliced

Celery - 1 small stalk, chopped

Green peppers - 1/4, sliced thin

American cheese slices - 2 cut, diagonally

Pickled banana peppers - as needed

Salt and pepper - as desired

Egg wash - with 1 egg (optional)

Method:

Transfer the tuna from the can to a bowl, draining the water.

Add the mayonnaise (I used ranch), salt and pepper to the tuna.

Beat the tuna with a fork until shredded and blended well with the dressing, salt and pepper.

Mix in the chopped celery.

Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Slit the bread horizontally so that it can be opened like a book.

Prepare the egg wash by beating an egg with a little water.

Apply the egg wash on the top and sides of the bread.

Place the bread in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Spread the tuna mixture over the lower flap of the sandwich. (Watch out for steam because the sandwich will be hot inside).

Top with the coleslaw veggies.

Toss the olives and the green peppers on top.

Top with cheese slices.

Serve immediately.

Tips:

1. Onions, tomatoes, spinach, jalapenos, pickles and lettuce are just a few of the other topping options.
2. Egg wash can be omitted. I used it because it gives a golden brown sheen to the bread when baked/toasted.