Friday Night Fajitas!

It's Friday night, and we're going to have a party with our tastebuds! The weather is cool and rainy today, but that is not deterring us at all from having a great summer time Tex-Mex feast worthy of any restaurant but costing less for the whole meal than what we would pay for one person in a restaurant. Plus, maybe I can talk A into making his signature mojito recipe to go with it!

Dinner tonight is chicken fajitas, black bean and corn salad, pico de gallo, and Spanish fried rice. This will be an incredibly sensual experience - the amazing mixture of flavors, colors, textures, and shapes will inevitably seduce all of our senses and make for an intensely satisfying meal. The smooth texture, shape, and taste of the flour tortillas wrapped around the long strips of brightly colored peppers and onions and the tender slices of chicken, along with the mild taste of the tortillas wrapped around the explosive flavors of the fajita mix. The black of the black beans, the bright yellow of the corn, the bright red of the tomato, the flashes of deep green of the cilantro and the jalapeno, the sharp white of the onion are a visual prelude to the symphony once the salad hits the tongue but the lime, pepper, garlic, and cumin are surprising notes that lie in secret only for your mouth to discover them. The red tomato, white onion, green cilantro and jalapeno, and more of that lime, pepper, and garlic in the pico de gallo add an extra crescendo of flavor on top of the fajitas. The dry, warm, slightly rough texture of the Spanish fried rice with its subtle flavors balances the more outrageous flavors of the salad and the pico de gallo. Top with creamy guacamole, cool and smooth sour cream, and the gentle bite of the cheese. Wash it down with mojitos that lull your senses, calm your senses, refresh your palate with its lime and mint. Watch out, because tonight is looking like a night destined to stimulate the senses and lead to some definite overindulgence of dinner!

The fajita meat was in my freezer, and I pulled it out to thaw yesterday. I often keep sliced peppers and onions in the freezer to go with the meat; they aren't as tender crisp but when money is tight and produce prices are high, it's a great substitute. Sadly, I had to purchase tomatoes because mine are not yet ripe, but if you have a garden, many of tonight's ingredients can come straight from your garden no matter what growing zone you're in (I'm a 4, almost a 3!) - tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, corn, black beans, cilantro. As it is, I started soaking the black beans yesterday, I have the peppers and the cilantro, the corn is from the freezer, the rice has been bought bulk, same for the tomato sauce. This is a very inexpensive and pretty easy meal with the barest of planning!

Chili's Fajitas
1/4 cup lime juice
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or skirt steak
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced or wedged
Combine all ingredients except vegetables in a quart or gallon zipper bag (whichever size is appropriate) and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and preferrably for 24 hours, or freeze and thaw in the refrigerator when needed.
Grill meat over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side (can also broil or pan fry but best results are from grilling). Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then slice into thin strips.
Place a little oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute pepper and onion slices until tender crisp and lightly browned. If desired, sprinkle a little lime juice and pepper over them when done cooking.
Toss together the meat and the vegetables. Serve with soft tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Copy cat recipe for Chili's Fajitas, source misplaced!

Emeril's Pico de Gallo
1 1/2 c. seeded, diced tomatoes
1/4 c. diced red onion
1 T diced jalapenos
1 T minced garlic
2 limes, juiced
2 T chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve. I like to let this sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. This is one of our all time favorite recipes - I'm thinking of trying to grow a tomato plant inside the house this winter along with my herbs and lettuce just so we can have good pico de gallo when the snow is falling!

Black Bean and Corn Salad
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. seeded, diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. freshly cooked corn or frozen corn, thawed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 c. diced red onion
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
3 T vegetable oil
1/4 c. lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, mix together the first seven ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the last six ingredients. Pour enough dressing over the salad to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to allow the flavors to marry. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe is from *The Big Book of Potluck* by Maryana Vollstedt. This is a new, untried recipe for me, so no promises, but it looks good!

The Spanish fried rice recipe is from a great website of Tex-Mex cooking, and it includes step-by-step instructions that I just cannot improve upon! www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com, use the Spanish fried rice link on the left side!