Friday, August 19, 2016

Beef Fajita Romaine Lettuce Wraps

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The low(er) carb recipes continue! I love fajitas, but I knew we didn't want to use tortillas for this meal. Romaine leaves to the rescue. You can use chicken or pork for this dish, but we scored a great buy on Top Round Steak which was already packaged as "fajita steak" which was a huge timesaver.  I mixed up a quick marinade for the steak and vegetables, and after a few hours in the refrigerator, we were ready to cook. By using low-fat cheese and light sour cream we saved even more calories. This was an extremely satisfying meal and neither of us even missed the tortillas.

Here's the ingredients for the marinade:
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. honey
the zest and juice of one lime
1/2 t. ground annatto
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. cayenne
1 t. chopped cilantro (or parsley)

Whisk together all ingredients in the container you're going to marinate the meat and vegetables. Set aside.



Now for the meat and veggies:
1 1/2 lb. top round steak, thinly sliced
1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. minced jalapeno

Isn't that gorgeous?


I layered the fajita fixings into the marinade, but if you'd like, you could certainly place everything in a large Ziploc bag.

First, we'll put in the steak:


Next, the garlic and jalapenos:


And now those beautiful vegetables:


The container I'm using is similar to this one found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. And here are the fajita fixings ready to go spend a little time in the fridge.


When I was ready to prepare dinner, I placed my largest cast iron skillet on the stove over high heat until a drop of water sizzled.



While the skillet heats, wash one head of Romaine lettuce leaves and dry. Set aside.

Using tongs, place the meat and vegetables into the skillet. Discard marinade.


Using tongs or a large metal spoon, quickly cook the fajita mixture until the beef is cooked and the vegetables are still tender/crisp. Remove from heat.


Now it's time to fill up those Romaine leaves!

Divide the fajita mixture evenly between the Romaine.


These would have been delicious as is.....but you can certainly add low-fat sour cream, taco sauce, pickled jalapenos, and/or your choice of low-fat cheeses.

This one has a Colby/Monterey jack mixture.


This one is topped with Mexican White Melting Cheese.


And last, but not least, this one is topped with sharp cheddar.


So do these choices convince you that low carb can also be delicious?

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