Dilemma! Organic Veggie Box from Greenling came with 15 key limes. 15! Now are you thinking what I’m thinking? Key Lime Pie, Key Lime Curd, Key Lime Shortbread. What’s not to like?! But seriously folks, I need to drop 30 pounds and all that sugar isn’t my friend. (Damn and double-damn, but it’s the Truth. Phooey.) Besides, the twice monthly veggie box is supposed to inspire me to eat more veggies and to try to focus on cooking with the seasons. The concept of making meals out of items preselected for me is forcing me to completely rethink how I approach food as I am used to selecting recipes that cater to what sounds good at the moment and then going on a search for the required ingredients. This new approach is turning out to be a much more creative process! And I can just hear my grandmother chuckling in the Afterlife as this “new” idea is probably what she did every day as a matter of survival. Can you say “what goes around, comes around”?
So last night I looked in the fridge and at ALL those limes. And two leftover chicken breasts from the other night. And two drawers full of veggies. I actually got inspired and decided to try making my own fajitas. (Ok, enough with all the laughing from the native Texans! )  I shocked myself as it turned out to be one of the fastest, easiest, most delicious dinners! On the table in less than 30 minutes and more than two servings of veggies per person! Win! And if you are a vegetarian? Add your favorite legumes instead of chicken. Equally delish!

Recycled Fajitas

Super Fast Fajitas
1 red bell pepper, cleaned out and sliced into pieces roughly 3″ long
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, cleaned out and sliced into 1″ pieces
1 ear corn, kernels sliced off the cob
2 T. olive oil
leftover chicken cut into bite-sized pieces OR a couple raw chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. cumin
4 limes
1 avocado, mashed up
 
1/2 c. shredded cheese (Your choice of jack, cheddar, whatever. I used what we had in the fridge- jalapeno jack.)
flour tortillas
Optional: Your favorite jarred salsa- green or red
 
First makes the guacamole. Peel the avocado and mash with a fork. Don’t worry if there are chunks in the mix. It’s all good. Squeeze one lime into the mashed-up avocado so it won’t turn brown. Plus, it tastes good. 🙂
 
Set the table. It goes fast after this step.
 
Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle  one tablespoon of the cumin over the chicken pieces. Set aside. If you don’t have any leftover chicken, NO PROBLEM! Just cut up a couple raw chicken breasts (Scissors work great for this!), sprinkle with cumin and saute in the pan with the veggies. If you are a vegetarian, skip the chicken and add a can of your favorite legumes, rinsed.
 
Get a large heavy skillet hot. (Cast iron works great here.) Pour in one tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl around the pan. Add the veggies and saute on the high heat. You want a little browning of the veggies as it caramelizes some of the sugars in the veggies and gives them that extra layer of flavor associated with restaurant fajitas. When the veggies are still a bit crisp, add the chicken/spice mixture. Turn down the flame and gently cook till the chicken is heated (or cooked) throughout. Squeeze two of the limes across the top of the spiced chicken-veggie mix. Adjust seasonings. We like food fairly spicy so this is where I added one more tablespoon of cumin. Heat a bit more to meld the flavors.
 
Serve with shredded cheese, guac, jarred salsa, and warmed flour tortillas. Flour tortillas can be warmed in the microwave or quickly warmed in another hot skillet. Both are extremely fast.
 
Side dishes?
1. A ripe mango cut up with a mix of one tablespoon raw honey and one MORE fresh-squeezed lime over the top of the mango pieces. Heh. Five limes down. Ten to go.
2. A can of organic pinto beans, rinsed and simmered with chicken broth out of a box, some leftover tomatoes that needed to get eaten, a jalapeno (seeded and diced) out of my garden, and another tablespoon of cumin.
 
I hope this inspires you when you are tired and don’t want to make dinner! Peace and joy!
 

🙂