Portobello Mushroom Fajitas

Meatless Monday is actually difficult to celebrate at my house.  My husband is a very picky eater and little of what he eats involves vegetables.  He does, however, love Tex-Mex.  So, I do what I can.

This was actually delectable.  The lime juice was slightly sweet and the mushrooms have the texture and woody taste of meat.  My husband said he would eat this again.  On a Tuesday….

Servings: 5-6 fajitas

Time:  Prep: 10 minutes, Marinating: 30 minutes, Cooking:  20 minutes
Hardware:  A cutting board and knife, a large skillet (a cast iron skillet or a grill pan works best), kitchen tongs, a large plastic bag, 2 plates

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms
• Salt
• Olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan
• 6 corn tortillas (you can use low carb wraps)

1. De-stem the mushrooms.  You can save the stems for something else or, like me, just use them in the fajitas.  Slice the mushrooms into ¼ inch strips.
2. Dice the jalapeño.  Put the diced pepper, the oil, juice, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and cayenne pepper into the plastic bag.  Shake and massage until the marinade is completely mixed.  Place the mushrooms in the bag.  Toss and gently massage until the mushrooms are covered.  Place the bag on a plate and put it into the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. While the mushrooms are marinating slice the onions into rings. Then slice the rings in half.    Remove the white ribs and seeds from the peppers and slice them into long then strips.
4. Heat the oil over the highest heat your pan can take.  When the oil begins to shimmer add the bell peppers and onions.  Allow the to veggies to cook until the edges begin to brown. Toss them.  It is okay if they char on the edges. Cook them until they are desired texture. I prefer them still a little crisp, but some people like them soft.  Remove the peppers and onions from the pan. Salt them.  Set aside.  Keep hot.
5. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Salt them generously.  Mushrooms release a great deal of liquid.  I find it necessary to pour some liquid off while cooking.  Cook, tossing often, until the mushrooms are crisp on the edges (about 7 minutes.)  Taste a mushroom and adjust the salt.

Serve the mushrooms and onion/pepper mix with warm tortilla wrappers.  I served them with Corn and Black Bean Salsa on the side.  Delicious and healthy.