American Kitchen Classic Steak Fajitas

Celticevergreen's Note:

Steak Fajita, as a dish, dates to at least the 1930s in the ranch lands of South and West Texas. During cattle roundups, throwaway items from beef butchered to feed the Mexican vaqueros (cowboys), such as the hide, the head, the entrails, and meat trimmings such as skirt (the meat used for most fajitas) were given to the vaqueros as part of their pay. Since skirt steak wasn't available commercially till the 1970s, the fajita tradition remained regional and relatively obscure for many years. In the early 1990s, this tradition went from a regional Texas menu item to a national menu item.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (Hunts)
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb beef flank steak, cut into thin strips across the grain
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium onion, cut into thin strips
• 12 (6 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• salsa (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine drained tomatoes, green chilies, chili powder, cumin and salt in medium bowl. Add steak; toss to coat.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the steak mixture; cook 3 minutes or until steak strips are no longer pink in centers, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm. Cook remaining steak mixture; add to rest of steak mixture.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; stir in bell peppers and onion. Cook and stir 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Return steak strips to skillet; cook 1 minute or until hot, stirring occasionally.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup of the steak mixture onto each tortilla. Top with cilantro, salsa and/or sour cream, if desired. Roll up.