Do you all love Mexican food? Good. I’m glad you’re here. Because as much as I love Asian food, sometimes I just crave a good burrito, taco, or chimi. Or chips and salsa ahhhhve course. But I think there are two types of Mexican food. There’s the kind you get at Cafe Rio or Costa Vida where your meal is made fresh right in front of you. And there’s the old school type where it’s all delivered to you on a plate…say, at a sit-down restaurant. While the latter can taste good, I can’t say I’m a big fan of the presentation. In fact, I often refer to it as “vomit on a plate.” Everything is thrown together in one big, gooey, sloppy mess. Your burritos or your enchiladas are covered in sauce and cheese and are hardly recognizable. And oh, is that rice under that saucy, cheesy mess? And the beans are mixed in there somewhere, too. It’s like a casserole that’s not meant to be a casserole.
So if I had to choose, I would definitely opt for the fresh Mex…where you can savor the individual flavors and textures of the fresh veggies, meats, rice, and beans when they aren’t smothered in a gooey, cheesy blanket of sauce.
One of my favorite Mexican dishes is fajitas, and I love that they’re so quick and easy to make at home. Until this Chili’s copycat recipe for Marinated Steak Fajitas, I relied (gasp!) on a fajita seasoning packet for the extra punch of flavor. And don’t get me wrong, those seasoning packets are great. But I find that sometimes the fajita seasonings overpower the natural flavors of the meats and veggies. Ya know? All the exciting fillings you lovingly pile onto your tortilla end up tasting the same.
But not with these Marinated Steak Fajitas. The deliciously sweet-zesty marinade adds just enough zing to the fillings to make them interesting (and by interesting, I mean your mouth will be like, “Ole, baby!”) without detracting from their yummy natural flavors. This really has become a new family favorite. Sorry, fajita seasoning packets. Was nice knowing you…
- 1 lb sirloin steaks
- 4-6 flour or whole wheat tortillas
- Optional toppings: salsa, cheese, corn*, cilantro, and lime wedges
- MARINADE:
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves (4 tsp), crushed
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- VEGETABLES:
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced thin
- 1 8-oz package sliced mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
- VEGETABLE SAUCE:
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp lime juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- In a large ziploc bag, combine steaks with marinade ingredients. Close and jiggle bag well to combine seasonings. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Adjust your oven rack to be about 6 inches from the top. Set your oven to broil.
- Lightly spray broiler pan with cooking spray and place steaks on top.
- Place steaks in oven and broil about 4 minutes, then flip steaks and broil an additional 4 minutes. (This will yield medium-rare steaks. Keep them in for another minute or so per side if you prefer them to be more cooked)
- Remove steaks from oven, transfer to a plate, and keep warm.
- In a small bowl, combine all vegetable sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large fry pan, heat canola or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and saute until lightly browned.
- Remove from heat and toss with vegetable sauce.
- Slice steaks into thin strips and add to vegetable mixture.
- Serve with tortillas and toppings of your choice.
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What a great idea! I love this so much and am going to make this as soon as possible! Keep posting things like this, I really appreciate it!
Thanks! These are super yummy. You’ll love ’em!
Steak fajitas are so fun and easy to make! My favorite marinade is Adolph’s Meat Marinade!
Thanks for this delicious post 🙂