Healthy Cooking: Shrimp Fajitas

During National Nutrition Month®, I challenge you to get into your kitchen and try some new and healthy recipes.  In this post, I wanted to share with you how to make one of my all time favorite recipes—fajitas.

Fajitas can be healthy IF you choose lean meats, control the amount of oil you use, and increase the amount of veggies to meat ratio per tortilla. Shrimp are a great alternative to the typical fajita meats of chicken or steak.  Shrimp are low in saturated fat and high in vitamin B12, iron and selenium (a powerful antioxidant that can help decrease the risk of chronic diseases).

To make shrimp fajitas, I started with fresh shrimp that I peeled and then coated and kept in my Fajita Marinade (see recipe below) for at least 1 hour prior to cooking.  The longer the shrimp sit in the marinade the better.  You can even prep the shrimp the night before and let them marinate for a whole day.   Since the shrimp will already have oil on them, you do not need to add any more oil to your griddle to cook them.

Place shrimp out on top of the griddle and let them cook for 5 minutes. Afterwards, simply turn the shrimp over and let them cook for another 5 minutes.  When the shrimp are done, take them off the griddle and place them on a separate plate, and set aside.

Next add your peppers and onions. There should be enough oil left over in the griddle from the shrimp, that you should not need to add any remain oil.  Since I really wanted the fajitas to be colorful and festive, I used a combination of green, yellow, and orange peppers plus onions.  This veggie combo is high in fiber, potassium, vitamins A, C, B6 and K. Saute the peppers and onions for about 5 minutes.  Just enough to let the peppers and onions cook but remain firm.

After 5 minutes, add the cooked shrimp back to the griddle.  Over the next 3 to 5 minutes gently mix the pepper, onions and shrimp together until they are well mixed and the shrimp are hot.

To boost the fiber of this meal even more, consider using whole grain tortillas.  Look for whole grain tortillas that have at least 3 grams of fiber per tortilla. Top the fajita with cilantro and diced tomatoes.  Instead of cheese, top the fajita with mashed avocado.  Avocados are high in fiber and rich in monounsaturated fat (heart healthy fat), potassium, folate, and vitamins C, E and B6.    Instead of using low-fat sour cream as a topping substitute plain, non-fat Greek yogurt which is high in protein and calcium.  And the best thing about using plain Greek yogurt is that it has the same satisfying taste as sour cream without the added fat.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and cleaned
• 1 medium size green pepper, sliced
• 1 medium size yellow pepper, sliced
• 1 medium size orange pepper, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 4 to 6 whole grain tortillas

Fajita Marinade

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless chicken breasts OR ¾ pound of lean steak OR 1 pound of shrimp
• ¼ cup lime juice
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/8 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. of black pepper
• Dash of red cayenne pepper

 Preparation:

1. For chicken: pound chicken breasts to minimize thickness. Cut into thick strips.
2. For beef: trim any visible fat and slice into thin strips.
3. For shrimp: peel and clean.
4. In small bowl, mix lime juice, cilantro, garlic, honey, olive oil, and pepper. Pour over chicken or beef or shrimp and turn pieces to coat evenly. Cover and chill at least 60 minutes or let it marinate for hours or overnight.