Sizzling Beef Fajitas

A little meat and lots of vegetables make fajitas a heart-healthy treat.

• Healthy Heart
• Diet Recipes
• Heart-Healthy Food
• Fight Disease
• Healthy Recipes
• Heart Disease
• Cinco de Mayo

This Mexican fiesta-on-a-plate consists of strips of marinated steak, bell peppers, and onions presented smoking-hot from the broiler, to be enfolded in tortillas with lettuce, cilantro, and fat-free sour cream.

Prep time 10 min.
Cook time 20 min.
Serves 4

You Will Need
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces well-trimmed beef sirloin
2 large onions, thickly sliced
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut lengthwise into flat panels
1/4 cup minced cilantro
4 flour tortillas (7 inches)
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

What to Do
1. Combine lime juice, chili powder, oregano, coriander, and black pepper in medium bowl.

2. Place beef in a shallow bowl and spoon 2 tablespoons of lime mixture on top; turn to coat both sides. Let stand while you broil the vegetables.

3. Preheat broiler. Spray broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place onions and pepper pieces, skin-side up, on broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from heat until peppers are charred and onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove, and when cool enough to handle, peel peppers and thickly slice. Add peppers and onions to lime juice mixture in bowl. Add cilantro and toss.

4. Broil beef until done to medium, about 8 minutes, turning it over midway. Let stand 5 minutes before thinly slicing. Broil tortillas until lightly browned, about 15 seconds per side.

5. Place beef, peppers, onions, lettuce, sour cream, and flour tortillas in serving containers. Let each person fill his or her own tortilla.

Cook's Clue
Buy fresh cilantro with bright green leaves uniform in color. Avoid yellow or wilted cilantro. the stems and roots of cilantro can be eaten. Immerse them in a glass of water cover with a plastic bag, and put in the refrigerator. Cut off leaves as you need them and always re-cover. Do not wash until you are ready to use cilantro because too much moisture makes the leaves slimy.

Round Out the Meal
Serve with low-fat chocolate pudding topped with crumbled cinnamon graham crackers for dessert.

Health Hint
The vegetable mixture for these fajitas provides more than twice your daily requirement for vitamin C. This important vitamin works as an antioxidant to fight off a wide range of diseases.

Per serving
379 calories / 21% from fat
3 g saturated fat, 9 g total fat
63 mg cholesterol
319 mg sodium
45 g total carbohydrate
6 g dietary fiber
29 g protein

From Cooking Smart for a Healthy Heart

 

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