After last week’s Bonanza I needed a break from baking, but still feel like doing some cooking (and writing about it).  Thusly came about the Easy Ground Turkey Fajitas.

Fajitas have always been my go-to meal when I want something easy, tasty, and relatively healthy, assuming I do it right.  Back in college I used to make these in a huge pan and add sour cream, shredded cheese, and avocado.  My roommates and I would eat it right out of the pan with tortilla chips.  Is that gross?  I hope not.  Because it was delicious.

These days I try to ratchet it back a little.  No need to go over-board crazy with something that’s tasty on its own.

But first, kick off your workin’ shoes and break out the chips and salsa.  It’s important to relax before cooking.

Trader Joe’s has great salsa.  I like it a little spicy (bow chicka bow bow).

The best thing about fajitas, besides them being easy, delicious, and healthy, is that there’s ridiculous amounts of wiggle room; you can’t really mess fajitas up (unless you dump them on the floor.  That definitely constitutes messing them up.  Especially if you have pets).  If you want chicken, you can add chicken.  If you want mushrooms, you can add mushrooms!  If you like your fajitas spicier, you can add more pepper.  You get the idea.  Very adaptable.

What I used in this recipe is a combination of my traditional recipe in conjunction with what I had in my refrigerator.  I personally feel like the garlic and cumin are a must, but hey – I won’t tell you what to do.

And speaking of garlic…

Slacker’s Tip: If you detest chopping or mincing garlic like I do (I’m all for fresh spices, but on a day-to-day basis, I find it annoying to mince things up) you can buy jars of pre-minced garlic that I absolutely adore.  They’re fresher than garlic powder but don’t require getting your fingers sticky and reeking of garlic.

The spices I used will yield a mellow but tasty pan of fajitas with a touch of bite at the end.  Like I mentioned before, you can always add more or less of anything depending on how you like your food, these are just a starting point.

One last thing I wanted to mention: you may notice I add the tomatoes after almost everything else.  If you add the tomatoes in too early they get soft and mushy, which is no big deal, but you lose their texture and flavor.

The tortillas are more Trader Joe’s delicious – Habanero Lime.  Om nom nom nom!

Enjoy!

Easy Ground Turkey Fajitas

Makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 tortillas
• 1/2 pound ground turkey (or beef)
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into crescents
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces or thin slices
• 1/2 cup-ish cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp red pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 pinch salt
• Cheese

Instructions:

1. Saute the onions and green peppers in the olive oil until the they’ve softened, but aren’t translucent.  While they cook, add the garlic, cumin, and red pepper.  Mix to spread the spices evenly.
2. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
3. Just as the ground turkey is finishing, add the tomatoes, paprika and salt.  Mix to spread the spices evenly.
4. Serve on a warmed tortilla, and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Consume.

For Weight Watchers users, these are 4 points apiece, minus the cheese and tortillas.

Today’s dinner entertainment was a few episodes of American Dad.