A Different Kind of Easter Dinner (Tequila Lime Fajitas)

Months ago I started plotting our Easter dinner menu. I'm totally Type-A like that and usually have lists and lists by March of potential recipes....and then the tasting begins (my favorite part, obviously). This year, I thought I had everything planned out...and then I started perusing Tastespotting and that went out the window. The weather was looking promising and I thought it was the perfect day to grill. My husband's favorite food is steak (like most other men, I'm sure) and he enjoys it in every form imaginable. Steaks for the entire family would be a little pricey, so we opted for chicken and steak fajitas. Best.Idea.Ever.

They serve a ton (seriously, we could have had another entire family over and still had leftovers), are pretty economical and if done correctly, are way better than what you're going to get in most Tex-Mex restaurants.

 First off, marinate the meat. Make sure you plan way ahead because they need to marinate for at least two hours. The longer the better. I let them marinate in the refrigerator for 7 hours. I scored the meat for maximum absorption.

 Grill the meat. Get that heat as high as you can get it. You want to get a nice char on the meat (cancer be damned in this case). My perfect fajita steak is cooked to medium-rare. Unfortunately, these pictures are from a trial marinade run and we used a sirloin, I prefer either flank or skirt steak and used flank steak on Easter. Honestly, though, any beef marinated in lime juice and tequila is going to be pretty damn good. Especially if you employ the "one for you, two for me" mentality.

 Veggies! I actually prefer doing my fajita veggies on the stovetop. They get nice and caramelized without getting burnt. I love onions, bell peppers and tomatoes.

Voila! Finished product. Whole wheat tortilla, a little shredded cheddar and some sour cream. I like to keep things simple. We also offered guacamole, tomatillo salsa and pico de gallo as topping options.

Tequila Lime Fajita Marinade
enough to marinate 3 pounds of desired meat or vegetables

1 bunch cilantro leaves
1 poblano pepper, seeds left intact
1/2 c. fresh lime juice (about 8 whole limes)
1/2 lime (use the ones from when you squeezed the juice out, you're just looking for the rind)
5 garlic cloves
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. tequila
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2-3 pounds of chicken, steak, shrimp, fish, vegetables, etc.

Remove stems from cilantro leaves and add to food processor along with the lime juice, half lime, garlic, olive oil and tequila. Process until smooth. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and process until incorporated. Pour on top of meat and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, but preferably 6+.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter filled with friends, family and great food! I will be back tomorrow with more Not-So-Eastery dinner recipes (roasted poblano and cheddar cornbread anyone?)