Bye-Bye Bounty: CSA week 15 – Fajitas and friendship

An orange pepper from my garden.

So, my friend Laurie has been staying with us for a little while before moving out of Lawrence. I’m super bummed about her leaving, but I must say that while she’s been staying with us, I’ve been eating WELL. (Good thing she’s my running buddy, too.).

Laurie’s great in the kitchen, even if it’s my kitchen. And she was sweet enough to share with us her top-secret fajita quesadilla/taco recipe while staying in our house. She was also nice enough to make it once and then basically make it again so I could “practice” and get it right. That way, after she moves I won’t be calling her in a panic at dinnertime wondering why my fajita seasoning wasn’t thickening right.

And, you know what, that fajita seasoning was just perfect for the mountain of peppers we’ve amassed from our Rolling Prairie CSA and my own impulsiveness at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market. I really can’t turn down a pretty purple pepper or a mellow yellow one or the bright orange ones in my garden.

Seriously. I need to be stopped. I actually posted a Facebook message with just this picture of a pepper because I was so proud:

Yeah. So, thanks to Laurie’s cooking skills and my hoarding, I bring you Fajita Quesadillas/Tacos.

Fajita Quesadillas/Tacos (recipe from Laurie Euler)

4-5 small bell and/or frying peppers

1/2 large onion

1 recipe Fajita Seasoning Mix (below)

Olive Oil

Cheese or Cashew Cheese

Salsa

Guacamole

Fajita-sized flour tortillas

Fajita Seasoning Mix (adapted from Food.com)

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mix seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Slice bell peppers and onions into sticks or squares, whichever you prefer. Throw them in a saucepan or large skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Sauté until the peppers are soft.

Next, add all the seasoning mix and add about a 1/4-1/2 cup water to the pan. Continue to sauté until the sauce thickens and coats the peppers and onions (this should take a few minutes).

Set peppers aside to cool. In a separate frying pan, warm two flour tortillas, one on top of the other. Flip them and once they’re warm take the top one off, put peppers and cheese on the bottom and then top with the other tortilla. Flip and heat through — 15 to 20 seconds. Put quesadilla on a plate, cut into four pieces and serve. To make the taco version, warm the tortillas in the pan and then put them on a plate. Stuff full of fajita peppers, cheese and whatever else you might want. Enjoy!.

What’d we get this week — my first without my buddy Laurie around? (Sniff). Tomatoes — both regular and cherry — potatoes, basil, cucumbers and a little yellow watermelon.