Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings: Spicy Chipotle-Citrus Marinated Veggie Fajitas

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Spicy Chipotle-Citrus Marinated Veggie Fajitas

Ah, these were really spicy and really good. Both Brett and I agreed this meal was a major hit! I do think, though, that next time, I will reduce the amount of hot peppers in the fajitas as it was a bit on the spicy side for Brett.

The marinade really pulls the whole meal together, the sweetness of the marinade complements both the spiciness of the peppers and the savory flavor of the potatoes and mushrooms. Yum!















Veggies marinating.















Yummy cooked veggies!















This meal was served 'family style', Brett and I shared a plate of warmed tortillas, a bowl of olives and a bowl of guacamole. We each had our own bowls of veggies and sauce.

Spicy Chipotle-Citrus Veggie Fajitas

Chipotle-Citrus Marinade:
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 2 limes
4 Chiles Japones, minced (dried de Arbol chilies would be even better)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp good olive oil
4 chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
3 tbsp dry cilantro
cumin
salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

The Veggies:
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
2 serranos, seeded and sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used half a pack of baby portobellos and half a pack of white button mushrooms)
2 small red potatoes, sliced

Combine veggies with marinade, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour (about 4 hours is perfect).

Once marinated, heat a large skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the veggies and a few spoonfuls of marinade. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until veggies are soft. You may need to add more marinade to the pan, and covering the pan with a lid will really reduce cooking time, but won't get the potatoes golden brown.

The other stuff:
fajita sized tortillas
can black olives, drained
guacamole
Jalapeno-Tomatillo Green Sauce

Enjoy!

This was really good, but if you don't like a lot of spice, I would recommend reducing the hot peppers, and maybe just adding an additional red or yellow bell pepper.

I love the combination of spicy peppers and tart, sweet citrus, it really works.

Well, I'm caught up now!

'Til next time!

19 comments:

Alicia said...

This might be my favorite post ever. I have this thing for citrus... Love them! specially lime and lemons. I always forget to marinate my veggies, but this recipe won't be ignored. Thanks for the inspiration!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

EXTRA spicy is just how I like it - PERFECT!! You seriously make the best Mexican recipes!!

Bianca said...

I love fajitas! That's probably my favorite Mexican food! These look fantastic.

The sweet potato lentil tacos turned into burritos! And they were damn tasty! I'm gonna blog about them tomorrow because I'm too tired right now.

Monika K said...

This recipe sounds really great - I especially like the idea of mixing the heat of the peppers with the acidity of citrus. I couldn't help but read through your post and think about the huge variety of vegan food that is now available. I mean, it may still be a bit tricky to be vegan at a restaurant, but for the most part there are so many types and styles of vegan meals that even quasi-omnies like Brett can eat like veggies and hardly even notice it. Too cool. (-:

Lizzy said...

I'm always amazed with what you come up with =)
We have to find some person who's good at managing, promotion etc. so we can have taco bell erased(or better said you, it doesn't even exist here) and replace it with the perfection that would be a vegan mexican food chain. and i'd insist on a store located in berlin ;)

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

I'm moving in. make room.

J said...

Alice - Aw! Well, with that in mind, I have another spicy citrus recipe I've created that I might have to pull out just for you.

Jennifer + Citrus = :-) I totally understand.

I have a system of notes, otherwise I would forget EVERYTHING. I generally make the marinade and put the veggies in early in the day and then forget about it. Then when I'm hungry, I have the lightbulb flash, 'Jennifer, you've got marinated veggies!'

Veggie Girl - Me too! Glad to 'know' a fellow spice freak! Thank you so much Veggie that is really sweet.

Bianca - I love them too. They are easy to make and fun to eat as you kind of make them as you go.

Wahoo! I'm so happy you liked it!

Monika - The combination of spicy and citrus really compliment well. You are right, with a bit of creativity and making use of the abundance we are so lucky to have available to us, the sky is the limit for us vegans.

Brett and I have made a happy compromise, we don't eat tofu, tempeh or seitan (neither of us are fans), he tells me when something is gross, and we don't try to 'relace' meat, we work around it and the meals turn out better as a result.

Lizzy - Thank you Lizzy, you are too sweet.

Hahahaha! We can call it 'The American Girl's Mexican Food Chain', aren't I creative! Hahaha! If I ever did though, I would make sure there was one in Berlin (and wherever Alice lives). :-)

Happy Herbivore - Hahahaha! That's fine, so long as you bring the muffins!

Unknown said...

I love marinades. One of my favourites is zucchini in lemon juice and olive oil, with sea salt, pepper and garlic. You are right about not trying to replace meat. Tofu is not so healthy anyway.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

*Writes down recipe*

Danielle said...

wow those look incredible! i just wanted to let you know how great i think your blog is. this is my first real comment but i've been reading for a while. keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

Did you say spicy? Gosh the way you describe it makes it sound so good. I'm sure it really is too! I also like the combo of spicy peppers and tart, sweet citrus.

Thanks for your kind words earlier. I was really stressed out and needed to vent. Almost the entire day I walked around with a big ol' pout. It's nice to know that I can turn to other places when my "real" life doesn't go as planned. Thanks again!

oh, tell Brett to eat whole red peppers during dinner. That should get him used to maximum spice in no time. haha j/k :-D

Vegan_Noodle said...

YOu had me at spicy.... yum!

Lizzy said...

Yay! Oh and please locate another one in Potsdam, that's where I work. The only decent vegan lunch available here is Subways Veggie Delight which I am starting to hate because I've eaten it wayyyy too many times =p

Rural Vegan said...

I absolutely love fajitas and I'm absolutely going to try your marinade the next time I make them. I'm drooling!

Anonymous said...

Wow! You certainly are top-notch when it comes to Mexican cuisine! My boyfriend would love all these tasty meals (although spicy stuff gives him crazy hiccups! Ahahaha!)...If I could just learn to like spicy peppers!

J said...

Cookiemouse - I do too, they take meals to another level and it requires very little effort. Ooooh, that zucchini sounds fantastic, I'll have to remember that if my plant starts going crazy.

That is what I understand and I personally I find most of the meat alternatives or substitutes to be, well, not good!

Chococlate Covered - :-)

Danielle - Thank you so much! I'm glad you have enjoyed this blog! I'll have to check yours out as well.

Leng - Hehehehe! Of course! The combination worked well.

Oh Leng, don't even mention it. We all have times where things are a bit too much and we NEED to vent or we will keep it pent up where it will come back to haunt us. Sometimes we also need to just be sad and let ourselves work through it. I see nothing wrong with that, and just because we don't 'know' each other in person, doesn't mean we can't care about each other. So, no problem.

Ha! He really has come around, I would have never been able to get away with even the spice level we eat now a few years ago.

Vegan Noodle - They were good!

Lizzy - :-) I would definetely do that! You only have Subway? That sucks, I'm lucky I work in the 'downtown' area of Columbia, and also on a college campus that offers vegetarian and vegan options at it restaurants. You need something better!

Rural Vegan - Fajitas rock. I hope you like it!!

Vegan Addict - Thank you so much! That is too kind of you to say. It's my favorite kind of food (obviously) so it's what I focus on. Hahaha, Brett always laughs at me when my nose is running and I'm hiccuping but love it anyway. :-)

Spicy isn't for everyone, but bell peppers, poblanos and anaheims are all either not spicy at all or very mild. You might try them out.

Erin said...

So you perfected the marinade? I'm writing this one down.

Me said...

That marinade sounds amazing!

Danielle said...

So now that you know I like your blog I hope it's alright that I added you to my new blogroll... :) Happy eating!