I am prepping lunches for the first half of the week today. I’m a day late because we had a crazy Sunday with two cranky kids. Sarah and I can both eat the same thing for lunch all week long without issue, but it is nice to change it up. We will usually try to make a couple of different things for the week. Sometimes we will make everything in advance and take whatever we feel like eating each day. Other times like this week, we will make something for the first half of the week. Then, in the middle of the week, we’ll make something else for the last few days.
This week on the menu we have steak fajitas and a grilled chicken Caesar salad. Today I am making steak fajitas. This is one of my favorite lunches to make ahead of time because it keeps well in the refrigerator and it tastes great when reheated. My favorite cut of beef to use for fajitas is top round. This is one of the cuts that is often sold in the US as London Broil. A lot of steak fajita recipes call for skirt steak or flank steak, but any lean cut of steak will work.
The reason I love using top round is that I can buy a large cut of top round cheap. This makes it easy when preparing meals ahead of time. It is a great, lean cut of meat that when prepared and cooked properly has amazing flavor and is not tough at all. When selecting a cut to purchase, I usually look for a 2-3 pound roast. I cut the roast in half and butterfly each half, making four large steaks.
At this point, how you prepare the meat is crucial to the taste and texture of the final product. It is important to cut the meat across the grain. Cut it into about ¼” strips and prepare the marinade. I use a lot of lime juice in my marinade because I love the flavor. The lime juice can begin to cook the meat, similar to how ceviche is made. The oil in the marinade tempers this process, but I still usually marinate the steak for only about 4-6 hours versus overnight. This makes it easy, too, if you’re prepping meals on a Sunday. You can put the steak in the marinade in the morning and cook everything in the afternoon. I also love the complex flavors of spices in the marinade, and I like a little heat. Some may like it less spicy. In that case, you can use less red pepper.
One last note about cooking: I love to cook this recipe in a hot, well-seasoned cast iron skillet. It allows you to get a beautiful sear on the steak without overcooking it. Plus, there is something about hearing the sizzle and smelling the wonderful smells of this dish together.
For a healthy lunch, we usually just eat the fajita sans tortilla. I like to pair it with a simple salad made with avocado and pico de gallo. Here’s the recipe. Hope you like them as much as we do.
Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 lb Top round roast, cut into four steaks then cut into 1/4″ strips
- 1/2 cup Canola oil
- 4-5 Limes
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Chili powder
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper
- 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
- 2 Bell peppers, various colors, sliced thin
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the oil, juice of the limes, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, cumin, onion powder, and crushed red pepper.
- Place the sliced steak in a large bowl and pour over about half of the marinade, tossing to coat. Place in the refrigerator for about 4-6 hours.
- Toss the sliced vegetables in the remaining marinade immediately before cooking.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the vegetables for about 5-7 minutes, until they are just browned and still firm. Remove them and set aside.
- Place the marinated steak in the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely seared outside and medium rare inside. Add the vegetables back in and serve immediately. Or, remove from heat and set aside to cool.