Steak Fajitas — Making Something Sizzle From What You’ve Got

The first full week of 2023 and I am back at LSU with the energy of a person who slept for two weeks straight and ate her weight in MawMaw Shirley's cooking. The dorm room is the same. Brianna has added a new poster — a motivational quote in cursive that says "She believed she could so she did," which is the kind of poster that I find philosophically thin but emotionally accurate, because Brianna does believe she can, and she does do, and the poster is not wrong just because it is simple.

Chemistry 1202 resumes with thermodynamics, which is the branch of chemistry that explains why my gumbo gets cold and why MawMaw Shirley's kitchen stays warm, though Dr. Nguyen would probably not accept either of those as exam answers. I am studying harder this semester. The B+ from last semester is a splinter I intend to remove. Not because B+ is failure — Daddy would slap me for calling it failure — but because I know the difference between what I got and what I could have gotten, and the difference was effort, and effort is the one variable I control completely.

The tutoring continues. Jerome — the student I started tutoring last semester — passed Biology with a C+. Not an A. Not the grade I would have gotten. But a C+ for a student who was failing in October is a resurrection, and I use that word deliberately, because watching someone go from lost to found in a classroom is the closest thing to medical practice I have experienced so far. You diagnose the problem. You prescribe the solution. You follow up. You adjust. The patient improves. Jerome improved. I am proud of him. I am also proud of me, which I am learning to say out loud, because women — Black women, specifically — are taught to be humble about our achievements, and humility is a virtue until it becomes self-erasure, and I will not erase myself.

I made a pot of chicken and sausage soup Sunday night — a new recipe, something I invented from what was in the fridge: leftover rotisserie chicken, a link of andouille, onion, celery, broth from a carton, and rice cooked in the broth until it was thick enough to hold a spoon upright. Cost: $4.12. Fed: six people. MawMaw Shirley would call this "making something from nothing," which is what grandmothers have been doing since the concept of grandmothers was invented, and which I am learning is a skill more valuable than any recipe: the ability to look at what you have and see what it could become.

MawMaw Shirley’s lesson — look at what you have and see what it could become — is the philosophy I carry into every meal now, whether I’m improvising with broth and leftover rotisserie or firing up something with a little more heat and swagger for when the dorm crew is restless and hungry. These steak fajitas are that second kind of meal: the kind where you’re proud of the sizzle before the plate even hits the table, the kind that feeds people fast and feeds them well, which, when you’re a pre-med student with a tutoring schedule and a thermodynamics exam on the horizon, is exactly the kind of cooking you need in your life.

Steak Fajitas

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak or flank steak, sliced thin against the grain
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
• 8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
• Sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro, for serving

Instructions

1. Marinate the steak. In a large zip-lock bag or shallow dish, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Add the sliced steak, toss to coat, and marinate at room temperature for at least 10 minutes (or up to 30 minutes for deeper flavor).
2. Cook the peppers and onion. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and bell peppers with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6—8 minutes until softened and lightly charred at the edges. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
3. Sear the steak. Increase heat to high. Remove the steak from the marinade (discard marinade) and add the steak strips to the hot skillet in a single layer — work in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Sear for 2—3 minutes per side until cooked through and edges are caramelized. Return the peppers and onion to the skillet, toss everything together, and cook for 1 more minute.
4. Warm the tortillas. While the steak rests, warm the tortillas directly over a gas burner for 20—30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30—45 seconds.
5. Serve. Load the tortillas with the steak and pepper mixture. Top with sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg