Freezer Fajitas

Yes, this picture is just a pile of meat.  Mmm….it makes my heart beat a little faster.  Yum!

A few posts back I mentioned a brief list of some of the meals I had stashed in the freezer.  Steak fajitas was one of them and since we made them this week, I thought I would share the recipe with you.  I am also finalizing a recipe for carne asada, but that one will have to wait.  As for this though, I like to call them my Freezer Fajitas because I only use this recipe when I am making the meat ahead of time.  If I am just going to eat them the same day or the next I use a different marinade, but to put in the freezer I like this one.  It is super fast and not a lot of ingredients.  I can just dump the meat straight from the store into a zip top bag, add a few things, and then toss it in the freezer.  Boom.  Done.  Dinner is waiting for me at a moments notice anytime in the next 3 or 4 months.  Just defrost and grill.

Now, this is by no means the ultimate steak fajita recipe or the one with the best flavor or the fajita recipe to end all fajita recipes.  Those I save for when I have a little more time to raid my spice cabinet and cut up jalapenos and juice limes.  Nope, as I mentioned above, this is the I-am-in-a-hurry-and-want-to-whip-this-out-and-get-it-in-the-freezer-kind of recipe.  Still scrumptious and much appreciated at a time when you aren’t in the mood to cook.  These fajitas, or any kind of Latin based meal, happen to go great with Mexican Rice W/Black Beans.  The fact that both are crazy good for you, use healthy, fresh ingredients, and won’t heat up your house when it is 90 degrees, are all very good things.  Actually, the leftover meat and rice are absolutely stellar when wrapped in a tortilla and eaten cold the next day.  Perfect to wrap up in parchment or wax paper and bring to work.  That is how I make it for my husband.  But I like the leftover meat in a quesadilla with extra cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and sour cream.  Maybe some sauteed mushrooms if I have them.  Outstanding.

One Year Ago: Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (I really need to come up with a more suitable name for these…), Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Mexican Rice W/Black Beans, and Pasta W/ Zesty Bolognese

Freezer Fajitas
Flank steak, also called skirt steak, is a fairly cheap cut of meat that is actually quite tough.  The trick is to use a marinade, don’t over-cook it, and to cut it against the grain.  This will be obvious when you see it.  It looks like long pieces of rope.  When cut across into thin slices, it ends up tender and fabulous.  It also feeds way more than you might think.  If you have never used it before, it just may become your new favorite cut of meat.

1 lb flank steak or top sirloin
2 T lime juice-this is one of the only times I use the bottled stuff
2 T olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients in a zip top freezer bag, pressing out all the air you can.  Smush around to mix and freeze for up to 3 months.  Defrost and grill over medium high heat.  You want it pink in the middle so depending on your grill and the thickness of your meat, this may only be 3 or 4 minutes per side.  Let it rest and slice it thinly across the grain.