Pocket Change: Budget Chicken Fajitas with Black Bean and Rice Pilaf!

Here's a recipe thats easy on the wallet and easy on the taste buds. Wow. That was cheesy. I don't care enough to delete that sentence and start over though! Last night I made these minimal ingredient "Fajitas." For those of you die hard Tex Mex or Mexican fans, these are not the sizzling plate they bring out that lights up the whole restaurant with good smells. Its a cheap way to have a healthy, affordable, and easy Mexican INSPIRED dish. I don't have a grill, or I'd have grilled up the chicken the way you're supposed to! So here it is- Nick loved them. He had 3!

Budget Chicken Fajitas

Less than 1 lb of chicken, cut into strips (I used chicken tenders and sliced them in half)

1/4 cup water

1/8 cup lemon juice (about half of a large lemon)

1 yellow onion, quartered, and the sliced (like fajita onions)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1/4 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper)

1/8 tsp red chile flakes

14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes (get fire roasted if you can find them), drained

For serving: Whole Wheat Tortillas, Salsa, and Cheddar Cheese

All you do is place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lemon and water, bring to a simmer, then add chicken and onions to the pan.

Cook until chicken is mostly cooked through, then add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.

Once chicken is completely cooked, and the juice has thickened up enough, you are ready to serve them. This is an extremely fast dish! We topped our tortillas with the chicken, then some cheddar cheese (skim of course!) and then a little salsa) Pretty tasty!

Black Bean and Rice Pilaf

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

2-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I ended up using more like 3 cups by the end of the cooking time)

1 T Olive Oil

1 small onion, diced FINELY

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 stalk of celery, diced FINELY

1 large carrot, peeled and diced FINELY

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t dried chili flakes

15.5. oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 t fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Combine chicken broth and rice in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 35 minutes, adding broth as needed.

This starts pretty similar to a soup stock, just minus the broth! Heat your oil in a skillet and add onions, celery, and carrot. Cook until soft (about 7-10 minutes). Add garlic, oregano, cumin and chili flakes.

Now, toss in your black beans and heat about 2 minutes

Once rice is done, remove from heat and fluff with a fork, then add in your bean mixture and serve.

Yum :) Enjoy!