recipe: zesty summer fajitas

Forget eating out! These tasty, tangy, spicy fajitas are perfect as a meal or snack anytime. They're healthy, fast, and easy to make - a perfect solution for the weeknight, "what's for dinner?" dilemma.


Zesty Summer Fajitas

Start to finish: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Thinly slice two red peppers, one medium onion and two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and place all into a bowl with the chicken on top. Sprinkle one tablespoon of paprika, one teaspoon of ground cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper over the chicken. Then, pour a few good glugs of canola oil over the chicken. (You never want to cook on high heat with olive oil as it becomes unstable and turns into trans-fats - that's bad!) Also squeeze the juice of one lime over the chicken. Set bowl aside to allow ingredients to marinate as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Empty one can of low-sodium refried beans into a small pot and let warm on low heat, stirring occasionally. (If you leave it on low heat though, it won't burn or stick, but will still be hot by the time you're ready to eat).

To make the salsa, finely chop one red or green chili pepper and place into a bowl. Coarsely chop 15 cherry tomatoes and a small handful of cilantro and place into bowl with the chile. Pour over a couple glugs of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of one lime, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and set aside.

Heat a large pan or wok to medium-high and add a glug or two of canola oil. Once the oil is hot (if it starts smoking its too hot), add all of the ingredients from the bowl with the chicken and saute until the peppers and onions are tender and the chicken is cooked through thoroughly. This should only take 10 minutes or so.

To serve, spread a layer of the refried beans onto a warm tortilla (put the bag of tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds), add some of the chicken mix, then top with the salsa and your favourites. I recommend avocado, grated cheese and perhaps a little sour cream.

Health Tip: Keep an eye on the amount of sodium in your tortillas. You'd be surprised how much salt they can pack into such a thin thing!


Credit to Jamie Oliver