#MeatMatters recipe : Beef Fajitas with Sweetcorn Salsa

Fajitas are always popular here at the Madhouse, because they are great fun to make, great fun to eat - it's pointless trying to eat them with a knife and fork, so just roll them up and stuff them in your mouth ! - and they invariably end up tempting the kids to eat far more veggies than if I'd been serving them up and "forcing" them to eat them ! I just cook up the meat with some peppers and onions, then put all the other veggie options in bowls on the table for everyone to dip into ... which they do surprisingly frequently. We usually make them with minced beef, but, having been invited to  join in with the #MeatMatters Challenge with BritMums, I had a look at the SimplyBeefAndLamb.co.uk website and was inspired by their Beef Fajitas with Sweetcorn Salsa dish.

Beef is a source of iron, which helps reduce tiredness and fatigue, as well as providing eight essential vitamins and minerals (Niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, riboflavin, plus iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorus) that support good health and well-being. As we're getting towards the end of term, we are all in desperate need of some extra energy, so that sounded good to me. Pierre said we could call them Feel Fitters instead of Fajitas - I'm not sure it'll catch on though !

Beef Fajitas with Sweetcorn Salsa

ingredients :

450g thin cut beef steaks, cut into strips

½ each red, yellow and green pepper, deseeded, cored and cut into thin strips (I used 1/2 a red pepper)

1 small onion, peeled and sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or 5ml/1tsp garlic purée

30ml/2tbsp Fajitas seasoning

Juice of 1 lime

10ml/2tsp olive oil

For the Sweetcorn Salsa:

1 can sweetcorn, drained

2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 red chilli, deseeded and diced, optional

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Juice of ½ lime

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

To serve:

4 corn or plain tortilla wraps

Soured cream

Grated cheese

Tomato salsa

Guacamole

Shredded Lettuce

Rice

Time to get chopping ! Thinly slice the onions, garlic, peppers and steak into strips. This is also when you need to prepare any of the side dishes, like the guacamole and sweetcorn salsa, and put the rice on to cook, if serving it as a side dish. (If making the sweetcorn salsa, just throw all the ingredients listed above together in a bowl and mix.)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan then toss in the meat and vegetables. Add the lime juice and fajitas seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, for about  4 minutes or until the beef and vegetables caramelise.

Warm the tortilla wraps in the microwave, as you lay everything out on the table, along with spoons, forks and plates. Serve a tortilla wrap to each person, then everyone can add their own fillings. I started off with sweetcorn salsa and guacamole, then layered on some beef and veg, along with some tomato salsa, and finally scattered over a little grated mozzarella.

As a top tip, when rolling up your fajita, start by folding up the bottom edge of the tortilla, before folding each edge to the middle. This prevents al the filling from falling out when you pick it up to eat !

Disclosure : This post is an entry for the #MeatMatters Challenge, sponsored by Simply Beef and Lamb. Learn more about the benefits of cooking and eating beef and lamb along with recipe ideas and inspiration here!