Steak and Vegetable Fajitas

We hadn't had fajitas in a LONG time. In fact, it's been so long neither of us could remember when the last time was.....so a drizzly, Fall Sunday afternoon seemed like the perfect time.

Early that morning, I mixed up a marinade and added the steak and vegetables. We went about our day of going out to buy pumpkins, mums and pansies for the front porch for the Fall season. Meanwhile, back in the fridge, magic was happening.

Here's the marinade recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. ground coriander

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Now pour into a gallon size Ziploc bag. OR you could use a marinading box similar to this one. I have one almost like this and it works great.

Now you need to add the following to the marinade:

1 lb. skirt or flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain (some groceries have prepackaged fajita steak ready to go!)

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut into thin wedges

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 jalapenos, seeded or not depending on how much heat you want, thinly sliced

Place in refrigerator for several hours.

Now let's cook.

Place a large cast iron skillet over high heat until skillet is HOT. Make sure you use a handle cover or pot holder on the handle. You don't want to grab that handle by mistake.

Using tongs, begin by placing several strips of steak into the skillet at time. You want a great sear on the steak strips. Add a little of the marinading liquid, a few tablespoons, at a time. Remove the steak when it reaches medium well, and add the remaining steak and marinade a few pieces at a time until all the steak is seared.

Reduce heat to medium high.

Now add the vegetables and remaining marinade. You only want to cook the vegetables JUST until they begin to soften. Stir often so all the vegetables get their turn against the hot skillet. No one wants mushy vegetables in their fajitas.

I chopped up three medium Roma tomatoes and add them at the last minute or so of cooking. Cook them only until they start releasing their juices and get hot.

Remove from heat and load up warmed tortillas with this delicious goodness. Your favorite toppings (salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc.) are optional because trust me, there is a TON of flavor right here.