Recipe Series: Friends and Fajitas

I decided to start writing down some of my recipes to share with you all.  This is very hard for me!  I am the "dump it in until it tastes good" kind of cook, if I'm cooking meat I just shake my spices in until it looks and smells right. Seriously I don't think I have ever made something the exact same way from one meal to the next.   So many times I have found a recipe online, looked at the ingredients and then just kinda went with it.  I don't think I have ever fully followed a recipe when cooking.  

(Disclaimer: I always bake by the recipe, too much science goes on in the oven, I haven't mastered that yet.) 

First up on my Recipe Series is Friends and Fajitas!  One of my spiritual gifts is hospitality.  I love to cook for people!  Micah and I like to do what we (mostly I) call Friends and Fajitas on Wednesday nights.  We try to have someone over that we haven't seen in a while and eat Fajitas! Yes, we eat fajitas almost every week.  It is a fun way to get to know new people and to see old friends we don't get to see very often.  Plus, getting good fajitas in Phnom Penh is a big deal.

So, here you go, my recipes for Fajitas and Garden Salsa (because salsa is kinda hard to find here)

Fajitas

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 onions
• 2 bell peppers (color of your choice, we like red and yellow)
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1-2 Tbs cumin
• 1-2 Tbs chili powder
• 1-2 Tbs chicken powder or bouillon
• salt
• 1-2 Tbs Olive oil
• Tortillas and whatever toppings you like…lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, guacamole….

Cut chicken, onions, and bell peppers into bite size pieces (remember the veggies will shrink to about half their size) add spices and stir fry in pan with olive oil.  If you are making this for a lot of people it is best to cook the chicken and veggies separate - just divide the spices equally.  The key to good fajitas is the cook time.  Just because the chicken is cooked through doesn't mean it is done.  Wait until the veggies have caramelized and start to get dark spots.  Basically take it off just before it burns. J  Play with your amounts of spices, do what suits you!  We like more onions than peppers so sometimes I only put in a half of each pepper just for the flavoring.  

Note: One chicken breast can easily feed two people with this recipe.

Garden Salsa

• 3-4 medium fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• a handful of cilantro
• salt to taste (at least 1Tbs)
• chicken powder to taste (about 2 tsp)
• (chicken bouillon is fine just reduce amount of salt)

Mix all together in a food processor until it is the consistency you like. Micah likes more chucks, I like less chunks.  Play with the amounts… if I am making it for myself I put more garlic and lime, if I am making it for Micah I put lest garlic and sometimes leave out the canned tomatoes.

This salsa is so good!  The other day I mixed some with cream cheese for an awesome veggie dip.  Another time I put it in my Chicken Zoodle Soup (chicken noodle soup with zucchini for noodles instead of pasta)  it was Amazing!!! 

That's it for now!  Let me know if you give them a try!  Also, let me know if I need to clarify anything or if you made any modifications that turned out yummy!