Made From Scratch Beef Fajitas

I am so proud of myself. One of my aims has been to completely replace processed food in our diet and find a way to make our favorites from scratch. Well for the longest time Beef Fajitas were my quick and easy open a packet go to meal, the seasoning was prepackaged, the tortillas were prepackaged. Recently for dinner I made Beef Fajitas from scratch, the seasoning was my own and the tortillas were completely homemade.

I cannot begin to tell you how delicious and superior this seasoning is to the McCormick pack. Now I'm not criticizing McCormick, they have been a faithful friend in my kitchen. However I have become more conscious of the label on food. McCromick's Fajitas Mix ingredients are: Spices (including Cumin, chili pepper, and oregano), corn maltodextrin, onion, onion salt, corn syrup solids, garlic, citric acid, caramel color, lime juice solids, modified corn starch and natural flavors. Now in the grand scheme of things that doesn't sound too bad and maltodextrin isn't the worse additive as it's actually from food not chemicals. However I know that glucose based items aren't usually that good for blood sugar. I do wonder why 'caramel color' is required!

I've posted the recipe for the tortillas before and once you have made them from scratch and see how easy they are and how awesome they taste you will have a hard time buy them at the store. 

So here is the recipe for Made From Scratch Beef Fajitas. Trust me these are the best fajitas, my father-in-law even loves them and he's a really picky eater!!!!

Beef Fajitas

 Seasoning

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp oregano

¼ tsp cumin

Tortillas

2 ¾ cups (about 12½  oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp kosher salt

5 T (2 ½ oz) vegetable shortening

¾ cup very warm water

Fajitas 

1 lb sirloin beef

2 T vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red onion, cut into strips

Directions:

1. Mix all the seasoning ingredients together.

2. Cut up the beef into strips and place in a bowl. Add the seasoning and mix to completely cover.

3. Let the meat marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. You can also freeze the meat marinated.
4. To make the tortillas: in a bowl, using a whisk, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening (and/or lard) and rub into the flour mixture until well incorporated.
5. Gradually mix in the water until the dough comes together. It should be a medium-stiff consistency, not a soft as bread dough but not firm either. Add additional water if needed a Tablespoon at a time.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

7. Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball. Set the balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

8. Flatten the ball of dough, flour it, and then roll forward and backward across it once. rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rolling and turning until you reach the desired circle size. Roll all of them before going to the next step. I've found that adding a little extra flour between them helps to stop them sticking together.
9. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently.
10. When the beef has browned add the bell peppers and red onion and continue to cook until they are done. Don't forget to stir it!

11. While the beef is cooking, cook the tortillas. Heat an ungreased griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium to medium high heat.
12. Lay the tortillas on the hot skillet, there may be a little sizzle noise and you will see bubbling across the surface.

13. After 45 seconds or so, when there are light brown marks on the bottom, flip it over and cook for another 30 - 45 seconds until the other side is slightly browned. Be careful not to leave it too long or it will become crispy. Remove from the skillet and place on a dry cloth. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas and stack them one on top of the other on the cloth.

14. Serve immediately and with all the additions you like, cheese, sour cream, salsa, whatever takes your fancy.

Happy Home Cooking!!!

Peri Peri Chicken

I lived in London for 3 years and right across from my flat they opened a Nando's chicken. I LOVED this place. I love chicken anyway but something about the way they cooked it and the sauce just was divine! Anyhow that was a long time ago and the nearest Nando's is Washington D.C. (The irony is like Starbucks they have one in Belfast now after I move away!!!)

We were watching a cooking show, the BBQ University, man does that show make me hungry, and he was cooking Peri Peri Chicken Wings. They looked so good and it reminded me of Nando's. So I got on their website and the wonderful, thoughtful people have put their sauce in a jar and they will ship it to you!!! Yes even down here in Louisiana. So I order some and created this dish!!!! It is definitely a huge hit around here!!!!

Anyhow I do cheat and use a jar sauce! However you may remember my weekend project that I started a while back to grow some Buckeye Chilies, which is gives the Peri Peri Sauce it's Peri Peri. So once my babies grow I'll be experimenting with my own version. For now I order regularly from Nando's and if you wish to do so too, click this link, US Store Garlic Peri Peri Sauce or UK Nandos Shop. I prefer the Garlic Peri Peri Sauce. I have found it in at World Market in the US but the selection is extremely limited.

I also like to use the mini sweet peppers in the dish but regular peppers will work too. You can easily find them at Target or Walmart.

 

Peri Peri Chicken

Ingredients:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

2 bottles Nando's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce

12 mini sweet peppers or 1 small red and 1 small yellow bell pepper

1/8 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

2. In a hot skillet, sear the chicken skin side down until golden brown. Flip and brown the under side. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

2. If using mini pepper slice in half and de-seed. If regular peppers, cut into 1 inch slices.

3. In a large 8 x 13 dish add the two bottles of sauce, vinegar and water and mix until combined.

4. Add the chicken, skin side up and add the peppers.

5. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and cover with foil.

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 35 minutes.

To complete the meal, serve with Potato wedges and salad.

Happy Home Cooking!

Sauce Update - March 28, 2012

Chili

Chili is one of those dishes that just says yummy, filling food. It's also one of those foods that has no set standard, it depends where you are and who you are with. It was one of the first things that we were taught to cook in Home Economics in school, but I can guarantee it wasn't the most flavorsome version!

I first developed this recipe when I decided I wanted to throw a cowboy themed 1st birthday party for my oldest son. And well when it came to the menu nothing says cowboy like a big old pot of chili!!!!

The original version had chunks of meat instead of ground meat and I actually really liked it but in our house ground is preferred. Although after hearing about the pink slime they add to the ground meat I'm thinking that I might start grinding my own meat. I haven't watched the news articles too closely because I don't think I could stomach it. Oh for the days of the local butcher where you could watch them grind it in front of you to order!!!!!

Chili

Serves about 6 

Ingredients

1 lb groundmeat (I use the leanest I can find 90/10 or 93/7)

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1 (28oz) can chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 (15oz) can dark red kidney beans, reduced sodium or no sodium, drained and rinsed

1 (15oz) can ranch style beans

1 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch Oven add ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno and cook until browned and vegetables softening.

2. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You may also add it to your crock pot at this point and let it cook there for about 8 hours on low. If you started in the morning it would be perfect for dinner.

To complete the meal, serve with rice, or baked potato (my favorite) or with Fritos and cheese!

Happy Home Cooking!

Beef fajitas

For day 2 we're having beef fajitas. Now I'm going to admit this is one of my not made from scratch meals. I experimented years ago with a seasoning recipe but it didn't quite do it for me. So I buy a packet of fajita seasoning. The prepackaged kits are really good and you will find them and taco kits in my cupboard because it's quick and easy.

I use beef because that's what my husband prefers but you can very easily use chicken. Any beef I use I buy on sale and freeze, most stores put their meat on sale regularly so if you can figure out the timing and buy the amount will need until the next sale it can make it more affordable.

To make it more of a meal I make a big bowl of my guacamole and heat up some queso (from a jar, need to add to my list of things to learn how to make!) and add some tortilla chips.

Beef fajitas

Ingredients

1lb sirloin steak

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 packets of fajitas seasoning

1 medium red onion, cut into long strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into long strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into long strips

1 package of flour tortillas

Fixings (optional) Sour cream

                 Salsa

                                  Shredded cheese

                                 Shredded lettuce

1. Cut steak into thin strips. It's easier to cut thin if it's a little frozen.

2. In a ziploc bag or bowl mix oil and seasoning and add the steak. Stir and make sure all the steak is covered with the seasoning. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least an hour, the longer the better.

3. I use a cast iron skillet to cook my fajitas. Heat the skillet until nice and hot and empty the steak, oil and seasoning mix into it. Stir and cook the steak until it is browned. If you like your steak rare you may just want to cook it for a short time or longer if you are more a well done kind of person.

4. Add the onions and bell peppers to the steak and continue cooking until the bell peppers are softened but still have a little crunch.

5. Heat the tortillas as the package describes. Serve.

Happy Home Cooking!

Cajun Pasta

So the first dish on our month of home cooking meals is Cajun Pasta. It's a wonderful dish that is full of Cajun flavors. You can adjust the spice level by adding or reducing the amount of Cajun seasoning.

Makes: 4 - 6  servings

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast, cut into ¼ inch strips

½ lb Cajun smoked sausage, sliced

½ cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup chicken broth

1 tsp all-purpose flour

1 cup whipping cream

1 T Cajun or Creole seasoning (more Tony's!!!)

2 T tomato paste

1 tsp cracked pepper (optional)

1 green onion, cut into thin strips

1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 (16 oz) pkg. thin spaghetti, uncooked

Directions:

1. Cook chicken and next 3 ingredients in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until meat is lightly browned; remove chicken mixture from skillet and set aside.
2. Add wine to skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until wine is reduced to ¼ cup.
3. Combine chicken broth and flour, stirring until smooth. Add chicken broth mixture, whipping cream, Cajun seasoning, tomato paste and if desired, cracked pepper to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. While the sauce is simmering cook the thin spaghetti according to the package directions and drain.
5. Add chicken mixture and pepper strips; cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Combine thin spaghetti and chicken mixture; toss gently.

To complete the meal serve with some garlic bread and salad.

Szechuan Noodle Toss

This is probably one of my top prized recipes that I have worked on and claimed as my own. It's one that I first made during my first year of marriage. Actually there's a story to this one.

I can't remember where I found the original recipe that this is adapted from and I actually believe it was supposed to be a cold dish, so you can see it's beyond adapted! Anyhow I learnt a valuable lesson, read the ingredients list CAREFULLY! The original called for a teaspoon and a half of CRUSHED red pepper well I didn't pay much attention to the 'crushed' part. I grabbed the GROUND red pepper it of the cupboard. As I measured it out I thought it looked a lot but I didn't put all but most of it in there. Fast forward to sitting down at the table with my poor, patient husband. One bite and well it was a shock how spicy it was! But he keep eating it and needless to say he was sweating and made a few trips to the bathroom.

After that the recipe nearly ended up in the trash pile but my husband talked me into trying it again, only not with such a generous helping of ground red pepper. I did try it with crushed red pepper but it was lacking. So from there and a little tweaking it became my recipe Szechuan Noodle Toss.

It's wonderful fast food. I can't emphasis enough how important it is that you do all the prep before you start cooking. You will probably spend more time prepping than cooking. When I was preparing for my post-delivery time after the birth of my second son I cut everything up and froze it. It worked well although I do like my red bell pepper to be crunchy and the freezing process had made it soggier. But under the circumstances it was wonderful to be able to put a meal on the table so quickly and easily and know that it was healthy.

Talking about healthy this is a wonderful way to get those great veggies in. I'm a huge fan of red bell peppers, I could remove the seeds and just eat them by themselves. They actually have more vitamin C than an orange. They also contain Vitamin A and K as well as lycopene.

Garlic is a huge favorite in my cooking. I know some people don't like the taste or the lingering effects to your breathe but we love it. It's health benefits are worth it. "Garlic is lipid-lowering, anti-thrombotic, anti-blood coagulation, anti-hypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-parasitic. Impressive enough for you? All of those benefits have been documented in the well over 1,200 (and counting) pharmacological studies done on garlic" from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden. Which by the way is an awesome book if you are looking at a diet overhaul. In the ever increasing Lipitor world garlic actually lowers cholesterol too, so these little potent gems not only add amazing flavor but they kick butt when it comes to your health.

Spinach is one of those vegetables that I know I should eat more of but really don't. I guess it's more I don't know what to do with it. I think this is one reason I like this dish so much. But Popeye was on to something with it, it's a packed with lots of nutrients and vitamins and is said to be the best source of vitamin K.

So anyhow I got a little carried away with all the healthy talk, perhaps my next post needs to be something sugary and loaded with calories!!!! Hey sometimes just simply being told something is good for you and actually knowing what the exact benefits are make the difference in choosing or not choosing to eat something. As a kid I remember being told that eating carrots would help my eye sight and I was so afraid of going blind that I would eat them like a crazy child. I still ended up wearing contacts so maybe it's a good thing I did eat them.

Anyhow finally recipe time. Again DO ALL YOUR PREP BEFORE YOU START COOKING!!!

Szechuan Noodle Toss

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 Tablespoon peanut oil (refined good quality)

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 (16 oz) pkg thin spaghetti

1 large sweet red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips

4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 (10oz) pkg fresh, trimmed spinach, torn into bite size pieces

3 Tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 T rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce (use reduced sodium if you are worried about sodium content)

1/4 tsp GROUND red pepper (reduce the amount if you don't like spicy food)

Directions:

1. Prep all your ingredients. 

2. In a measuring jar combine 2 T sesame oil, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 T rice vinegar and 1/4 tsp red pepper, stir and set aside.

3. Cook spaghetti according to package directions: drain.

4. Heat wok and when hot, add peanut oil, allow the oil to heat for a minute then add the chicken and 2 T soy sauce and stir fry until cooked. 

5. Remove from the wok and set aside.

6. Add 2 T sesame seed oil to wok and allow to heat for a minute. Add the red bell pepper, scallions and garlic and stir constantly for 2 minutes.

7. Stir in spinach and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the spinach wilts.

8. Add the chicken and the spaghetti to the wok.

9. Pour the mixture from step 1 over the pasta and toss gently to coat.

Beef & Pepper Stir Fry

I thought for the first recipe I'd share a quick and easy dish for all the busy mothers. This is Chinese fast food home style! It's one of my favorite go to recipes for busy nights.

I think the best thing to own is a wok or good skillet! Either will work with this.

Go ahead and do ALL your preparations BEFORE you start cooking, once you start it's really quick! It probably takes longer to cook the rice and cut up the ingredients that the actual cooking.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

6 Tbsp dry sherry, divided

6 Tbsp soy sauce, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 - 1/4 tsp of ground red pepper (adjust to taste we like things spicy at our house)

1 lb top sirloin, thinly sliced into ¼ inch strips

½ cup water

2 Tbsp good quality refined peanut oil (I use Spectrum, it's a little more expensive but when it comes to taste you need it).

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 sweet red bell pepper, cut into strips

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 2 Tbsp sherry, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, garlic and ground red pepper.

2. Add beef and toss to coat; put in fridge for 10 – 15 minutes or longer.

3. In a small bowl, combine water with remaining cornstarch, sherry and soy sauce; set aside.

4. In a wok or skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high.

5. Add green and red peppers; stir fry for 1 minute or until crisp-tender. Remove peppers to a platter.

6. Add remaining oil and the beef to the pan; stir-fry for 1 – 2 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Remove to platter.

7. Return peppers to pan.

8. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to pan; bring to the boil, stirring constantly until thickened.

9. Cook 1 minute longer.

10. Serve immediately over hot rice.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: you can actually cut the beef and mix it with the marinate and freeze it, then take it out of the freezer when you are ready to cook and throw it in the wok. I tried cutting and freezing the peppers too but they become soggy and not crisp but it will work, it's all down to taste.

You can cut all the ingredients in the morning ahead of time and stick them in the fridge and just pop them in the wok when it's dinner time!

HEALTHY TIP: Peppers are high in vitamin C and actually I think it's higher than an orange so this is a great dish during cold and flu season to give the family's immune system a boost!

I promise I'll try and start posting pictures of the dishes in future!