Mojo de Ajo Veggie Fajitas

Last weekend we were warming up with pretend camping, and this weekend we are heading off to do the real thing. Did I tell you that I love to camp? I grew up on yearly trips to Yosemite and Yellowstone, with Dad the Fisherman and Mom the Reluctant Camper and ten siblings in tow. We're not going anywhere as grand as a National Park, but there will be evergreens, Dutch oven cooking, hikes, and lots and lots of dirt. I'm most looking forward to the smell of bacon and maple intermingling with pine trees and temperatures that won't come anywhere near 100 degrees. All right, I'm just as excited as the charges, only I have neither their free time nor energy. I'd better get cracking. Before I go, I leave you with this veggie fajita recipe. Remember this post about my new favorite San Antonio Chicken fajitas? I thought I'd give it a go with pure veggies, and they were every bit as mouth-wateringly delicious. That Mojo de Ajo spice and garlic oil is spiffy stuff, kiddos. You've got to make some this weekend!

Mojo de Ajo Veggie Fajitas

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for four generous servings

FOR THE MOJO DE AJO

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

FOR THE FAJITAS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)

1 large green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 large red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch strips

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch strips

1 cup corn kernels

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

12 small corn tortillas (about 6 inches), warmed

Guacamole, for serving
Pico De Gallo, for serving

Sour cream, for serving

Shredded mild cheddar cheese,for serving

DirectionsMake the mojo de ajo: Cook oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice, red-pepper flakes, and salt.Make the fajitas: Heat a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over high heat. Add oil, and gently swirl to coat. Add onion and bell peppers, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is browned in spots, and pepper has softened slightly and skin is blistered, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, corn and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mojo de ajo, and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with warmed tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and cheese.
Next Up:

Best Ever Lemon Bars

San Antonio Chicken Fajitas

We were feeling impulsive this past weekend. Usually when I feel impulsive I go to a movie that starts later than nine o'clock. Ooh, wee-such adventure. Pathetic, right? I used to think nothing of uprooting my life for the promise of chaos and uncertainty. Look what the thirties have done to me! But my brother called midweek and said he had four free passes to Legoland. It was too late to take off work, and almost impossible for me to find a sub for my college classes, unless it's the Quiet Man. But, like the lure of adventure from my twenties, free stuff is my siren song. Free Legoland Passes!!! So we left Friday night, and made the six hour trip to San Diego, and found ourselves at Legoland (free passes!) as the park opened. I felt like a college kid again, taking a trip that I hadn't planned and really didn't have time for. Throwing off the shackles of responsibility felt invigorating. I hope to do it again some time, and not just for free. But I won't plan on it, because then what would be the point?

In another rash of spontaneity, I recently spotted the recipe for some truly divine fajitas. I canceled my dinner plans and ran to the market. I just knew down deep in my bones that they had to be made that minute. Oh, yes. They are now first on the totem pole, knocking my other fajita recipes down a carved face or two. The recipe hails from an old issue of Martha Stewart, along with some other classic Tex-Mex dishes, that I'm itching to try out. For anyone that loves California's El Cholo fajitas, these are pretty darn close. Maybe they're even it. Make them up tonight-impromptu. This whim is definitely worth it.

San Antonio Chicken Fajitas

Estimated Cost: $9.00 for four generous servings
FOR THE MOJO DE AJO
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
FOR THE FAJITAS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
1 large green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 small whole), sliced 1/2 inch thick
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2), sliced 1/2 inch thick
8 small flour tortillas (about 6 inches), warmed (instructions follow)
Guacamole, for serving

Pico De Gallo, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Shredded mild cheddar cheese, preferably longhorn, for serving
Directions
Make the mojo de ajo: Cook oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice, red-pepper flakes, and salt.
Make the fajitas: Heat a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over high heat. Add oil, and gently swirl to coat. Add onion and bell pepper, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is browned in spots, and pepper has softened slightly and skin is blistered, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mojo de ajo, and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with warmed tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and cheese.

Next up:

Strawberry Shortcakes

Super Fast Summer Vegetable Fajitas

Remember my old fashioned gentleman/retired cowboy neighbor that dropped off all the garden and orchard treasures? This week's recipes are dedicated to summer-fresh produce, thanks to my generous gentleman cowboy.
Raise your hand if you've been to El Cholo in Los Angeles. All right, don't raise your hand, but at the very least, leave a comment. I can personally guarantee just about anything on El Cholo's menu, but their fajitas are truly exceptional.
In the late 80s, I went to El Cholo with a group of high school friends. Fajitas were the new "it" dish, and apparently not too well known. When the waiter came to our table with the loud sizzling dish, my brother's friend Matt Gourley, jumped out of his seat, sweating and shouting something about a fire. He was an extremely funny guy (professional actor now), but he was dead serious at the time. We've been giving him "heat" for years over his pan-panic attack. Every time I hear the flaming sizzle of fajitas, I think of Matt Gourley, scared out of his Cavaricci pants at El Cholo.
I'm confidant you'll love my veggie fajitas, since I've done my best to copy El Cholo. They're simple, nutritious, vibrant with color, delicious, and best of all-I can make it all in just one pan, so clean up is a snap. Whip up a batch of my 2 minute FRESH SALSA, and you've got dinner.
Summer Vegetable Fajitas
Estimated Cost: $5.00 for Four Servings
Notes: Sometimes I use homemade refried beans from the freezer, or canned pinto beans that I mash, or when very pressed for time, Rosarita Green Chile and Lime Refried Beans.
12 corn tortillas
2 teaspoons butter, optional
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced, preferably different colors
1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 summer squash, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup corn (optional)
2 cups refried beans
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese, if desired
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 clove garlic, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
sour cream, guacamole, salsa, if desired for serving


Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add tortillas, a few at a time and cook until softened. Brush tortillas lightly with butter, if desired, and wrap tightly in tin foil, then wrap in cloth towels to keep them warm and soft until serving time. To same pan, add oil. When sizzling hot, add onions and bell peppers. Cook stirring constantly for two minutes. Add zucchini, squash, tomatoes and corn and cook for one minute. Push vegetables to one side of pan. Place refried beans on other side. Sprinkle refried beans with cheese. To vegetables only, add chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, and cook stirring vegetables only for one minute. Turn off the heat and immediately add lemon juice to vegetables only. Bring skillet and tortillas to the table. Make fajitas directly from the table. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
Coming Tomorrow:
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread