Fajitas - Egg, Beef or Chicken Roll Ups

2000

May 16, 2000
This is a different breakfast (or a quick supper). I forget where I found the starting recipe. I've made these on and off for years as a week-end breakfast treat since I had boys and these are filling. You can adjust to use non and low-fat milk and cheese and egg substitute (some fat is required). You can also use a salt substitute.

Prepare scrambled eggs or scrambled egg substitute:
4 eggs (or equivalent egg-substitute)
1 tsp. butter (or substitute)
NO SALT OR SEASONING
optional - 1Tblsp non-fat, low-fat, whole milk or cream
cook in a non-stick pan on medium - turning the mix over by scraping the bottom with a spatula - do not brown

1 8oz. container Regatta cheese
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced (remove onion skin)
4 12" flour tortillas
butter or margarine
salt or salt substitute
Hot sauce (Pace Picante Hot sauce - my sons like the high-temp one)

While the eggs are cooking, microwave (on a napkin) all four tortillas at once on high 15 seconds (or use a warmer). For those who really like oil, you can heat them in a skillet with Canola oil or butter in it.
Spread on the outside with butter or margarine (unless you used the skillet method to warm them).
Place the now pliable tortillas outside-down on a cookie sheet - overlapping OK - or use two cookie sheets for a work surface.
Evenly divide the cheese the length of all four tortillas, as filling
Sprinkle with onion slices (broken up) - use a little or a lot - use amount desired (to taste). At the least, make sure that the cheese is mostly covered.
Add egg mixture - evenly divided on all four tortillas.
You can sprinkle with salt and pepper or with a salt-substitute. Not necessary.
Roll up and pierce with a toothpick or two to keep closed (roll does not have to be tight)
Place on a non-stick cookie sheet, spaced apart, sprinkle lightly with salt if desired (now you know why I said no salt inside them) and bake at 350 degrees until the tortillas are crisp (about 10-15 minutes).
Do not burn (should not be more than light brown on the bottom).
To serve, cut in half, place on a plate with hot sauce on the middle. The red and yellow is a nice contrast. Add fruit slices or juice to complete.

Pretty and very filling. Let cool before biting however - hot cheese will burn your tongue!
________

Quick Fajitas - Beef or Chicken

Fajitas packaged spice mix - for beef - is also good with chicken.
My supermarket goes so far as to have the chicken, pepper and onion already cut up and mixed.
Other times, you can get beef or chicken already cut into strips and ready to cook.
If you need to, get a sharp knife and cut up a slab of beef (like a top broil steak) or chicken breasts into strips, about 1/2-1" wide and 2-4" long.

beef or chicken in Fajitas strips (Allow 8 oz. per person)
Red/purple onion - cut in rings then chop those
1 green pepper - cut into strips
1 red pepper - cut into strips
If you are adventurous, use 1 yellow and 1 red pepper too (four peppers begs for about 1.5 lbs of meat)
1 package of Fajitas spice mix
Canaloa oil
6" flour tortillas - two per person - warm them up so they fold easily. Don't put oil on them.

With an electric skillet, set it to 300-325 degrees.

In a hot skillet, heat about 1-2 Tablespoons of oil, then stir-fry the meat, onion and pepper strips until the meat is done. (Don't stir constantly - just every 3-4 minutes.) Meat should be cooked on all sides and cooked through. (If the peppers and onions are starting to become mush, the meat is probably overdone.) Chicken breast meat turns white and then browns a little. Takes no more than 20 minutes, usually less.

Adjust the oil for the amount of meat being cooked. 1.5 lbs of meat uses about 3 Tablespoons of oil.

Turn down the heat to low (above simmer). Drain off the excess oil in the pan, if any. Add the packaged mix (beef flavor is fine for either) and 1/4-1/3 Cup water. One package will handle 1-1.5 lbs of meat.

Stir so the powdered spices are mixed. Heat through.

Put into the flour tortillas (about one sieved serving spoonful per tortilla) and fold over. Don't overstuff.

Serve with a fresh salad (iceburg lettuce chopped with tomato slices) and hot sauce (for the men who like to put hot sauce on everything). Hot sauce is the new ketchup.

Serve with lots of napkins, they dribble.