Try A Meatless Black Bean Fajita

by Dana Jacobi, for The American Institute for Cancer Research

Having heard numerous arguments about what is or is not authentic, I have no doubt about the origins of one dish, fajitas. By now so popular in the U.S. that they are almost as ubiquitously as pizza, fajitas originated in northern Mexico and were brought by Mexican cowboys to south Texas. Authentic fajitas consist of flank steak marinated in lime juice, grilled, thinly sliced, and served with refried beans, guacamole and salsa in a flour tortilla.

There are many versions of fajitas, but I think the most simply-made fajitas are the best. I prefer those made using meat marinated in lime juice and a touch of oregano, especially when it is epazote, the Mexican oregano.

Fajitas made with chicken or shrimp instead of beef are not unusual. Grilled vegetables are often added to fajitas these days, a good way to include a serving of vegetables in the meal. Recently, helping a hostess at a cookout, I created meatless fajitas for her vegetarian guests. Made with refried beans and grilled veggies, they taste as good as those made with steak.

Black Bean Fajitas - Makes 4 servings.

4 8-inch reduced-fat whole-wheat tortillas
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4” strips
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4” slices
1 large tomato, cut crosswise into 1/2” slices
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained*
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried epazote or oregano**
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup salsa, drained
1/2 cup (packed) cilantro leaves

Heat a medium iron skillet or ridged grill pan over high heat until hot. Add the tortillas and heat until hot. Wrap them in foil to keep warm and set aside.

Add the peppers and cook until they are blistered in many places, about 8 minutes, turning them 3 or 4 times. Transfer them to a serving plate. Add the onion to the pan in one layer. When lightly blackened in places, about 1 minute, turn and grill until they are limp, 1 minute more. Add them to the plate with the peppers.

Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the tomato in 1 layer and grill 1 minute. Turn and grill 1 minute longer. Transfer to the plate of vegetables. Wipe the pan and return to the heat.
Add oil to the pan. Add the beans, cumin and epazote. Cook, mashing the beans until they are as creamy as you wish, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the beans among the tortillas. To each, add 6 green pepper strips, 1/4 cup onions, 1 Tbsp. salsa, a tomato slice and 2 Tbsp. cilantro. Fold the tortilla over the filling and serve.
Makes 4 servings.

* Do not use canned refried black beans, which are too soft and will leak from fajitas.

** Epazote is a strongly pungent Latin American herb (also called wormweed, pigweed, or Mexican tea) that is usually sold in its dried form in the Hispanic or foreign foods sections of supermarkets, or in Hispanic grocery stores. Epazote is popular in many bean dishes because it’s believed to reduce gas.

Per serving: 194 calories, 5 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 44 g. carbohydrate, 8 g. protein, 9 g. dietary fiber, 574 mg. sodium.