by josie
These eggplant fajitas pair nicely with a Mexican beer.
These vegetarian fajitas can be prepared on a grill or broiler, and the vegetables and salsa can be prepared in advance and heated before serving. The ideal refresher to accompany these fajitas is an icy Mexican beer, such as Corona with a squeeze of lime.
Grilled Eggplant-Pepper Fajitas With Black Bean Salsa
Serves 4–6
Filling
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut into 16 slices
1 large red and green bell pepper, quartered
6 scallions, ends trimmed
6 lowfat flour tortillas, 6-inch size
Toppings
½ cup prepared hot salsa
½ cup canned black beans, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, skinned, pitted and thinly sliced
½ cup lowfat sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
1. Brush grill grates with vegetable oil and heat grill to medium (or heat broiler with a rack positioned on top level).
2. Whisk together olive oil, lime juice and cumin. Season marinade with salt and pepper.
3. Place eggplant slices in a large bowl and toss with a little more than half of lime marinade; season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill eggplant slices until tender, about 3–5 minutes on each side. (If broiling, place on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until golden and tender, about 30 minutes). Transfer to a platter.
5. Place pepper quarters and scallions in a large bowl. Toss with remaining marinade and season with salt and pepper.
6. Grill peppers until soft and lightly charred, about 6 minutes each side (or place on baking sheet and broil until soft and lightly charred, about 20 minutes).
7. Cut peppers into thin slices and arrange on platter with eggplant.
8. Grill scallions, about 1–2 minutes each side (or place on a baking sheet and broil 2–3 minutes). Transfer to platter.
9. Blend together salsa, black beans and cilantro in a small bowl. Place avocado on a small plate; spoon sour cream into a small bowl.
10. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Let each person fill a warm tortilla with some grilled vegetables and then top with salsa, avocado and sour cream.
Nutrition Score per serving: 331 calories, 52% fat (19 g; 4 g saturated), 40% carbs (33 g), 8% protein (7 g), 8.7 g fiber, 109 mg calcium, 2.3 mg iron, 419 mg sodium.
For other tasty vegetarian dishes, check out “Who Needs Meat?” by Victoria Abbott Riccardi in the May/June 2010 issue of VIVmag.
Photo credit: Shimon & Tammar
