By Alison Rose Munn
A friend was recently raving about his meal at a Mexican restaurant down in Georgia and asked me if I’d ever heard of pork fajitas. Having grown up in the Central Valley of California I can occasionally be a snob about Mexican food and about which Mexican restaurants are better than others. And so I was very embarrassed to admit that, no, I had never heard of pork being used in fajitas. My friend told me that I had to try them – that his meal was so good he had stuffed his face.
I decided to try my making them myself and found the dish to be an easy one! All it took was a little bit of forethought so the pork had plenty of time to chill and pick up the flavors of the marinade. It is also very easy to make this dish gluten free – all you have to do is ensure that your tortillas are made from 100% corn (I’ve found that some corn tortillas have wheat mixed in). Most of the recipes I looked at called for both green and red bell peppers, but because my doctor has declared I am “highly sensitive” to green peppers, I substituted in yellow and orange bell peppers, making the dish a tab bit sweeter. And though none of the recipes I read called for avocados, the Californian in me couldn’t help but add them and they fit in deliciously.
This is a perfect dish for a summer night cookout or a simple night dining at home!
INGREDIENTS
The Marinade:
- ½ tsp chili powder
- Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Jalapenos (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup orange juice (fresh if possible)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice (fresh if possible)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 8 oz pork tenderloin, trimmed
The Fajitas:
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 orange or yellow bell pepper
- 1 small red onion
- 1 avocado
- 2 tsp canola oil
- small gluten free corn tortillas
- sour cream
- salsa of your choice
DIRECTIONS
Marinade:
- Mix together the marinade ingredients. If using jalapenos, mix in a blender or food processor until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour into a bag, add pork and seal. Shake to coat.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 8 if possible.
Fajitas:
- Preheat grill to high or if cooking indoors, heat a pan over high heat. Grill the pork, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees. This will take approximately 12-15 minutes. When the pork is done, let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
- As the pork is cooking, chop the peppers and onion into thin strips. Lightly ush with oil and grill 3-7 minutes, until lightly owned and soft.
- Chop the avocado.
- Just before serving, heat the tortillas – just one minute on each side.
- Serve each ingredient separately, don't forget the sour cream and salsa, and enjoy!
