Veggie fajitas (aka Our Week in Zucchini, Day 1)

We already had several summer squashes sitting in the fridge. More arrived on Saturday via our CSA share. On Sunday I went to poke around in our garden and discovered 5 more large ones, two of which are approximately the size of billy clubs. Oops! So, we've got a lot of creative eating to do!

Last night's dinner was veggie fajitas. I love fajitas. Back in my omnivorous days, I loved steak fajitas. Now, I like to order them when a vegetarian version is available (which is usually, but not always). However, some vegetarian versions are better than others- I think the worst one I had was literally composed of a bag of frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and crinkle-cut carrots) sauteed in what appeared to be a stick of butter. Urgh. MY version is yummy and un-fussy and does not include any cruciferous OR frozen vegetables.

As it happens, the fajitas I make at home always include zucchini, so it was a natural for this week of summer squash abundance. I sliced white onions from the farm into strips. Ditto for a red and a yellow bell pepper. I quartered two zucchini (one green, one yellow) lengthwise, then stripped the seeds away from each quarter (probably not necessary if your squash is on the small-medium side; mine were quite large and thus quite seedy). Then I cut the squash into 3-inch-long strips.

Each vegetable- onions, peppers, squash- gets seared separately in a blazing hot cast-iron skillet with a bit of vegetable oil and a dash of salt. I cook them til just barely tender- I want the veggies to retain some color and crunch. Then I toss them all together for a minute or so more, sprinkling with chili powder, cumin and a little lime juice.

The other components are warm flour tortillas, diced avocado (sometimes homemade guacamole, but not last night), shredded cheddar, sour cream, and a good tomato salsa.

Last night's salsa was freshly made by me, and I was going to excitedly report that every ingredient was fresh and local, but I forgot about the squeeze of lime juice- the lime came from Mexico. Oh well- the salsa was still terrific. I seeded and diced two medium tomatoes, added some finely chopped raw white onion, two small jalapenos, seeded and minced, and a handful of fresh cilantro leaves. A pinch of salt and a touch of lime finished it off. The jalapenos were from our home garden and it turns out they're oh-my-gosh SPICY. I will have to remember that next time I use some!

And the result? Mmmmmm, fajitas. And also, 2 zucchini down! Many more to go.