I'm a big fan of Mexican and Tex-Mex food.  I can tell you first hand that there is a wide variety of veggies that are great in Fajitas.  I declare that this fajita blend to be the best vegetarian fajita's.  They are simple, healthy, and delicious.  Which is the exact description I want for the recipes I post on Hello Veggie.  Fajita's and Lime Rice Salad are the perfect meal for anyone who is looking to lose weight but still want's a delicious Mexican meal.

I've got the experience under my belt to know how to NOT make good vegetable fajitas.  The first time I tried I ended up with a place of bland steamed onions.  I threw them away.  D was so excited about this recipe that he used the term 'authentic' to describe their flavor and consistency.  Mission accomplished!  I will give one word of advice for those contemplateing this recipe.  Those of you who live in a very small apartment, dorm room, or anywhere with a small kitchen or limited ventilation, you may want to think twice before making fajitas.  You know how Mexican restaurants bring fajitas out on a smoking sizzling plate to your table?  Well, that's because they smoke and sizzle when you cook them!  I learned this the hard way and by the time my fajitas were cooking I had all windows open and all fans on high.  But it was worth it, they were delicious.

What You'll Need:
Fajitas:

3/4 white onion, sliced, halved and separated
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 green bell pepper, sliced thinly
3 large carrots, large end sliced
1 tsp cheyenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 T canola oil (optional, may substitute with water)
1/2 water, reserved for cooking 

Serving suggestions: Surprising amazing fajita veggies are zucchini, broccoli, red potato, and green beans. If you have them, add them in or substitute them for carrots.  I recommend onions, peppers, plus 1-3 additional veggies.

Rice:

1 cup brown rice, I used long grain
2 cups filtered water
1/2 lime
1 avocado, diced
1 small tomato, diced

How You'll Do It:

Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium pot on high heat.  Then cover and reduce to a low simmer for 40 minutes. (Or cook according to package directions)

When there is about 15 minutes left on the rice, get veggies ready if they are not already.  Use a grill pan or a large cast iron skillet to cook fajitas on. (I used a grill pan) 

Heat your grill pan (or cast iron) on medium high heat.  When hot, add oil or water (depending on if you prefer to cook fat free or not.  I splurged for the oil and I believe it upped the flavor).  Add all veggies together.  Cook veggies for 3-4 minutes, using a fork or tongs to rotate regularly.  Your grill pan or skillet should be very hot.  Add cumin and chili powder next, along with a splash of your reserved cooking water to give the veggies a boost of heat.  Use fork or tongs or 'shake' grill pan on the stove to keep the veggies consistently moving as they grill.  Turn heat to high and continue adding reserved cooking water as needed for steam, while moving veggies consistently.  Cook for a total of about 10 minutes, add the cheyenne pepper during the last two minutes.

Serve a heaping scoop of rice and squeeze 1/2 a limes worth of juice over the rice.  Top with avocado and tomato pieces.  I ate my vegetable fajitas plain, without a tortilla, but feel free to eat your fajitas traditionally with a small [wheat] tortilla. 

Why You'll Love It:

  Flavor and veggies galore!  This is a great meal to make when you're having guests for dinner.  Also, it's a great meal to eat when you've got a stout craving for a hearty delicious meal, but you don't want your waistline to suffer the consequences.  You'll never miss the greasy meat from typical fajitas and you definitely won't miss refried beans soaked in cheese.  This meal is so delicious and satisfying that you'll forget about the fact that it's light and healthy!