Fast and Easy Oven-Broiled Low-Carb Fajitas

Are you craving Mexican food but following a low-carb protocol? These low-carb fajitas are so satisfying, you don’t miss the tortillas. Even when I’m not intentionally monitoring my carb intake, this meal falls into my top ten favorites—it’s that good. This menu would also be great for a crowd too because you can keep adding items to the “buffet” like guacamole, salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro as well as tortillas and chips. I am giving you the basics here but there is plenty of room to get creative. Leftovers make delicious salads and omelettes!

On a side note, my rule-of-thumb for a restaurant is that the food needs to be better than what I would make (or at least comparable) to what I would make at home—otherwise it is a huge letdown. The best fajitas that I have ever had in my life are made at Pappasito’s in Houston, Texas. Actually, that is the best Mexican restaurant that I have ever been to because they have the perfect trifecta: excellent fajitas, margaritas, and chips & salsa. I ask you. How many times have you been to a Mexican restaurant and been let down by one of those three items? Is it just me—is it that unrealistic? Okay, I will admit that when it comes to the chips and salsa—it probably comes down to preference because there are so many different kinds and everyone has their favorite. I like very thin and crisp with a finely minced salsa. Although the thicker chips are starting to grow on me. However, chips are not low-carb and therefore part of the 80%-20% rule—a once-in-a-while treat.

Fast and Easy Low-Carb Fajitas
1 flank steak or skirt steak
1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 teaspoon course black pepper
1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 green peppers (or 1 green and 1 red)
1 large sweet onions or 2 medium
1 head of Boston bibb lettuce or butter lettuce
optional: Adolf’s meat tenderizer
optional serving garnishes: cheese, guacamole, refried beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, salsa, cilantro

1.Gather all the ingredients including optional garnishes.

2. Slice onions and peppers into thin 1/4 inch strips. In addition, prep optional garnishes like Pico de Gallo or Fresh and Simple Guacamole.

3. Heat large frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes and then add olive oil. When oil is shimmering add onions. Leave onions in place for 4 to 6 minutes without moving. Then set cooked onions aside in another pan/burner on low to keep warm and/or if you’re one of those lucky home chefs to have a toaster oven or second oven, you can use that.

4. Saute the peppers just like the onions. Leave them in place for 4 to 6 minutes without stirring.

5. When the peppers have some caramelized edges add them to the onions and keep warm on a low burner, toaster oven, or second oven.

6. Heat the oven to a 500 degree broil and place wire rack on the top position. (Note: be sure you have a clean oven. If your oven is overly dirty, this may cause smoke and you’re smoke detectors to go off.) Stab the flank steak front and back with a fork several times, and sprinkle lightly with Adolf’s (gasp—yes, I still use this for a couple of items). Arrange steak on a foiled lined half sheet pan with a wire rack.

7. Mix salt, pepper, and garlic in a small prep dish. Sprinkle 1/2 the mixture.on one side of flank steak, and place under the broiler (3 minutes for skirt steak and 5 minutes for flank steak). Stay close and watch carefully. Broil time depends greatly on the thickness of the steak.

8. After 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, flip the steak over, sprinkle with remaining seasoning and broil another 3 to 5 minutes to your liking. Note: working on the timing of oven broiled steak is similar to figuring out how long to boil eggs between a soft boil and a hard boil. It will take practice.

9. Pull the steak out, place on a cutting board, cover with tin foil, and let rest for another 5 to 7 minutes. While steak is resting, plate optional garnishes like salsa, guacamole, and cheese.

10. Slice thinly against the grain.

11. Finish plating and serve.

This recipe has no ratings just yet.

Oven-Broiled Low-Carb Fajitas

February 20, 2009

Servings: 4

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 10 min

Total: 40 min

Difficulty: Intermediate

Print This

By: Michele Tedrick, NBC-HWC, A-CFHC, Holistic Chef

Ingredients

• 1 flank steak or skirt steak
• 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 teaspoon course black pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 green peppers (or 1 green and 1 red)
• 1 large sweet onions or 2 medium
• 1 head of Boston bibb lettuce or butter lettuce
• optional: Adolf's meat tenderizer
• optional serving garnishes: cheese, guacamole, refried beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, salsa, cilantro

Directions

• Step 1 Gather all the ingredients including optional garnishes.
• Step 2 Slice onions and peppers into thin 1/4 inch strips. In addition, prep optional garnishes like Pico de Gallo or Fresh and Simple Guacamole.
• Step 3 Heat large frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes and then add olive oil. When oil is shimmering add onions. Leave onions in place for 4 to 6 minutes without moving. Then set cooked onions aside in another pan/burner on low to keep warm and/or if you’re one of those lucky home chefs to have a toaster oven or second oven, you can use that.
• Step 4 Saute the peppers just like the onions. Leave them in place for 4 to 6 minutes without stirring.
• Step 5 When the peppers have some caramelized edges add them to the onions and keep warm on a low burner, toaster oven, or second oven.
• Step 6 Heat the oven to a 500 degree broil and place wire rack on the top position. (Note: be sure you have a clean oven. If your oven is overly dirty, this may cause smoke and you’re smoke detectors to go off.) Stab the flank steak front and back with a fork several times, and sprinkle lightly with Adolf’s (gasp—yes, I still use this for a couple of items). Arrange steak on a foiled lined half sheet pan with a wire rack.
• Step 7 Mix salt, pepper, and garlic in a small prep dish. Sprinkle 1/2 the mixture.on one side of flank steak, and place under the broiler (3 minutes for skirt steak and 5 minutes for flank steak). Stay close and watch carefully. Broil time depends greatly on the thickness of the steak.
• Step 8 After 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, flip the steak over, sprinkle with remaining seasoning and broil another 3 to 5 minutes to your liking. Note: working on the timing of oven broiled steak is similar to figuring out how long to boil eggs between a soft boil and a hard boil. It will take practice.
• Step 9 Pull the steak out, place on a cutting board, cover with tin foil, and let rest for another 5 to 7 minutes. While steak is resting, plate optional garnishes like salsa, guacamole, and cheese.
• Step 10 Slice thinly against the grain.
• Step 11 Finish plating and serve.