Intrepid new chef, cheese addict, and guest blogger
Erin Gahagan takes on vegan fajitas.
I love fajitas. But ordering fajitas at a restaurant is like participating in a piece of performance art. You know it’s showtime when you hear that familiar sizzle coming closer as other patrons part like the Red Sea. Ah yes, here come the seven waiters carrying your fajita order. One with the plate so hot it has an oven mitt on the end, its crackling causing everyone around you to stare; the others with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and tortillas. It’s a scene. . .every time.
It never crossed my mind that I could make fajitas at home. Okay, let’s be frank: It never crossed my mind that I could make anything at home. So, flipping through The Vegan Cheat Sheet in search of my next challenge, I spotted a recipe for Vegetable Fajitas (page 98). Yes, please! The recipe looked simple with basic ingredients.
But wait, was I really considering making fajitas without cheese? I understand that abstaining from cheese is a tenet of veganism, but I am from Wisconsin. More like a clichéd version of someone from Wisconsin—I LOVE CHEESE. I put it on everything I possibly can. I have a unique gift for making super-healthy vegetables wholly unhealthy by adding slices of cheese (baby carrots and cheese slices, yum!). Once, I even put it on a sweet potato (don’t try this—it is not a thing).
It never crossed my mind that I could make fajitas at home. Okay, let’s be frank: It never crossed my mind that I could make anything at home. So, flipping through The Vegan Cheat Sheet in search of my next challenge, I spotted a recipe for Vegetable Fajitas (page 98). Yes, please! The recipe looked simple with basic ingredients.
But wait, was I really considering making fajitas without cheese? I understand that abstaining from cheese is a tenet of veganism, but I am from Wisconsin. More like a clichéd version of someone from Wisconsin—I LOVE CHEESE. I put it on everything I possibly can. I have a unique gift for making super-healthy vegetables wholly unhealthy by adding slices of cheese (baby carrots and cheese slices, yum!). Once, I even put it on a sweet potato (don’t try this—it is not a thing).
All right, well, one meal without cheese won’t kill me. In fact, it’ll probably be less likely to kill me. So I gathered my fajita ingredients and got to work. First I had to whisk the sauce, a mix of soy sauce and agave syrup. I was skeptical, as it seemed like a weird combination. But (literally) what do I know, so I called upon my rarest quality—patience—and kept going.
Prepping the vegetables was a revelation. This was the first time I heard the word “cored” with “bell pepper,” so I looked it up. Turns out the proper way to prepare a bell pepper is to core it like an apple and then scrape out the white pith with a paring knife (bonus, I learned a new word: “pith”). All these years I’d been chopping up peppers and just throwing away pieces with the white stuff. . . er. . .pith. I’ve wasted so many edible peppers! Ahhh! Ok, moving on…
Admission: this was my first time slicing an onion. Seriously. I do not like onions, and mentioned, until now I rarely cooked. I simply never found myself in this situation. I was kind of excited, and it turned out to be awesome. Did you know that under those ratty papery outer layers is a pretty onion?! You probably did. Anyway, I felt like I’d unwrapped a present. So I sliced up the onion and waited to cry. Isn’t that what happens when you slice onions? Finally, when I was almost done, my eyes started to sting, and I felt legitimate.
I threw all my beautiful vegetables and the sauce into a pan and got to sautéing. Fifteen minutes later, I had a pan full of delicious-looking fajita filling. I wrapped it up in a whole-wheat tortilla, restrained myself from adding cheese, and took a bite. Wow. The sauce created such an explosion of flavor that I didn’t even miss the cheese. Let me repeat that: I DID NOT MISS THE CHEESE.
These Vegetable Fajitas were incredibly tasty and so easy I almost felt like I forgot to do something (I didn’t). And never again will I question what I’m mixing together—that sauce was genius. Amy and Lisa know what they’re talking about!
These Vegetable Fajitas were incredibly tasty and so easy I almost felt like I forgot to do something (I didn’t). And never again will I question what I’m mixing together—that sauce was genius. Amy and Lisa know what they’re talking about!
But best of all, this fajita dinner requires only one (non-sizzling) serving plate. That chorus line of servers will have to find work elsewhere.
Share your sizzling stories with Erin on Twitter at @erin1217.
Share your sizzling stories with Erin on Twitter at @erin1217.
Vegetable Fajitas
Serves 4
1/2 cup agave nectar or pure maple syrup
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 large onion, sliced in strips
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
2 reen zucchinis, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 whole-wheat tortillas (burrito size)
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 large onion, sliced in strips
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
2 reen zucchinis, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 whole-wheat tortillas (burrito size)
- Whisk agave nectar and tamari together until well blended.
- Place onions, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms in agave sauce to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
- in a heavy dry pan, sauté vegetables and sauce on high heat, stirring regularly until vegetables are tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. if there's excess liquid, remove it from pan and save; you can add it back in later, if desired Roll mixture inside tortillas like burritos. ¡Buen provecho!
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