♥ Portobello Fajitas

I finally gave in. After weeks, nay months, of J’s pleading repeated requests, I finally made fajitas for the man, sans the beef. Honestly, I don’t know why it took me so long to come up with a better-than-beef fajita recipe. These fajitas were so simple, but unbelievably good.

You wouldn’t know it from some of my earlier posts, but I prefer to make our meals without relying on the faux meats. I recognize that meat substitutes have their place in helping people transition from a meat-centric diet or satisfying a craving, but faux meats are still processed foods and they are to be eaten sparingly. Personally, I try to limit the faux meats to one dinner a week. Hey, the man still loves meat!

So, for this dish I turned to my favorite meat substitute: the Portobello mushroom. It has a wonderfully meaty texture when sautéed or grilled.  To go with the fajitas, I made Gallo Pinto (or painted rooster) using leftover  cooked black beans and brown rice. Last night, I made the fajitas with organic corn tortillas and the leftovers today with sprouted wheat tortillas. Either way: muy bien!

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Portobello Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 Portobello mushrooms, halved and sliced

1 onion, halved and sliced

1 green bell pepper, halved and sliced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, halved and sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 200F. Wrap the tortillas in damp towel and place on a plate in the oven to warm up.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushroom, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño until the onion and peppers are crisp-tender.

Add the cumin, chili powder, cayenne and Bragg’s and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the cilantro and cut the heat.

Serve with the warm tortillas.

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Gallo Pinto (Painted Rooster)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cooked black beans

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 poblano pepper, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 cup organic corn

1/2 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 14.5-ounce can of organic diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Diced avocado, diced  tomato and chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

In a large cast iron skillet, bring the black beans and vegetable broth to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, poblano, jalapeño, corn, red chili pepper flakes and cumin.  Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, for a few minutes.

Add the cooked rice, tomatoes and cilantro; mix well and cover. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed.

Garnish with diced avocado, diced tomato and chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

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