Fajita recipe is a healthy eating alternative that grew from the need to make food that was cheap and more palatable. This popular Tex-Mex cuisine originally referred to the beef cut that was used to prepare this dish also called skirt steak. Today fajita recipes are being prepared using varieties of meats like pork, chicken, and shrimp, among others. The meat is typically cooked along with bell peppers and onions, and popularly used condiments include sour cream, shredded lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, and salsa.
The history of the fajita recipe can be traced back to the state of Texas and not Mexico. In the thirties, during cattle roundups, the throwaway items like the head, entrails, hide, and meat trimmings were handed over to cowboys. This actually led to the popularity of dishes like fajitas and barbecues. Commercial sales of fajita recipe only started from 1969 when an Austin meat manager started the very first commercial fajita sale counter.
In 1973, a Tex-Mex eatery called Ninfa’s was opened by a Rio Grande valley resident. From this insignificant diner grew a regional restaurant business empire. The German-born George Weidmann next introduced the concept of “sizzling fajitas” which made the Hyatt chain a big hit with the foodies! As time passed, the fajita recipe came to include other types of meat in it, apart from the traditional beef. At present, almost anything which is cooked and then served in flour tortilla wraps is called fajitas.
The fajita recipe is fast becoming a preferred healthy eating option for those cooking at home or eating outside. A primary reason why this item became so popular was that it could be cooked in any manner to suit the palate and you could combine practically any ingredient to make the dish more enticing.
Healthy food typically refers to food that is made using less oil, fat, or salt; and in this sense, fajitas are healthy food. The best part about this meal is that you can add as many vegetables to it to make it healthier, something that you are not always free to do in other dishes.
You can include vegetables like cabbages, red cabbages, broccolis, and spinach, and prepare them in a more interesting manner. Such dishes can satisfy even those who do not like to eat them ordinarily, like children who tend to skip vegetables in their regular meals. You need to be imaginative and incorporate them into your personal fajita recipe by including new seasonings and sauces to make them tastier.
The fajita recipe can be made healthier by substituting beef with other meat forms like grilled or smoked chicken, shrimp, or pork. The tortilla used to serve can be prepared from multigrain flour, soy, or wheat flour to make them healthier. Soy is known to be less fattening and wheat makes the fajita recipe more fibrous. Low-fat cream can be used to replace guacamole and homemade salsa dips can make your fajita recipe even healthier. Finally, you can even grill it at home without using excess oil to make the fajita more nutritious. So, be creative and improvise to come up with a mouthwatering fajita recipe that scores high on nutrition.