I’ve been spending some time revisiting a few of the classicslately, and finding ways to make them fit into my vegetarian lifestyle, whetherthey want to or not! ;) This week’s lucky dish was fajitas, and with the help of one of my favorite nightshades, I can now add this usually meat stuffed delight back into my rotation - yay!
I’ve actually hadthis idea since I made the Vegetarian Gyros a couple of weeks ago, and finally decided to give it ago. I used eggplant in place of meat, which gave it a great texture andsoaked up all the flavors of the fajita mix really well. I almost usedmushrooms (as I’m prone to do), but was glad I chose the eggplant in the end. It was very yummy, and healthy to boot!
Getting Started
To get started, you want to prepare the eggplant. This takesabout 30 minutes, so make sure you give yourself enough time, and also that you’renot starving already, as this is likely to cause you to eat most of your guacamolewith chips beforehand. Cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant, then standup on one end and slice into approx. 1/2in pieces (see picture below). Depending on the size ofyour eggplant, this should give you about 6 pieces. Lay the slices on a cookiesheet, or other flat surface, and sprinkle generously with salt; flip over anddo the same to the other side. Let sit for 30 min, then rinse well to removethe salt. This process removes any bitterness from the eggplant, and is wellworth the extra time!
While your eggplant sits, slice your onion and bell peppers(remove the seeds first) into strips, and prepare the fajita mix by blendingall the fajita seasoning ingredients in a bowl. I had never made my own fajitaseasoning before, so I found a recipe from food.com, and justmade a few alterations to make it vegetarian…it was really yummy! If you aremaking homemade guacamole, go ahead and make that now. Also, if you are using an outside grill, make sure to get it going.
Once your eggplant is ready, rinse off the salt and pat dry.Next, drizzle each slice with olive oil and sprinkle generously with the fajita seasoning.I only ended up using about half of the seasoning mix, and saved the other halffor future use; just use as much as you like. Rub it in really well, then flipover and do the same to the other side; if a little dry, add more olive oil. Youreggplant should look very pretty and fajita-ey at this time. 
Place your slices on the grill, grill pan, or something ofthe like (I used my Foreman, and just flipped them over when needed) and cook untiltender and displaying the proper grill marks, a few minutes per side (sorry, I forgot to take pictures of this step - I blame the Coronas my hubby brought home!). At thesame time, sauté the onion and peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat. Addsalt to taste, and cook until tender and taking on a beautiful golden color, approx.10min.When everything is done, cut the eggplant into long strips, heat upyour tortillas, and stuff them full of all the goodies!
Wrapping it up
I really loved this recipe. Whether a fellow veg or not, these are a great, healthier alternative to classic fajitas, without sacrificing taste. The eggplant soaked up all theflavors of the fajita seasoning, and went perfectly with the sautéed peppersand onion. Topped with homemade guacamole, sour cream, and a squeeze of fresh lime = heaven in a tortilla!
Ingredients1 eggplant1 red bell pepper1 green bell pepper1 large yellow onionCoarse salt to tasteOlive oil for sautéing veggies andcoating eggplant (approx. 2-3 Tbs)8 flour fajita tortillas (aka smalltortillas)Guacamole and sour cream fortopping
Fajita Seasoning Ingredients
1 Tbs cornstarch2 tsp chili powder1 tsp salt1 tsp paprika1 tsp sugar1/2 tsp onion powder1/4 tsp garlic powder1/4 tsp cayenne pepper1/2 tsp cumin1/4 tsp crushed oregano
Servings: 4-6
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This one doesn’t really need a whole lot of explanation.Basically you just cut up all the veggies to your liking, toss in the rest ofthe ingredients, and mix together! Easy peasy, and it looks pretty too! 
Ingredients
For the life of me I can't remember what it was called, or where we ate (I'll post it later if we can find it again) but from what my eyes and taste-buds can discern, it has the following ingredients:
Greetings, my friends! We are back at last from our exciting, adventurous, and all around action-packed trip to Europe. We had the most amazing time but, I have to say, I'm glad to be back home again. We managed to visit four countries, each with amazing sites to be seen; we trampled through a few languages (je suis desolee!); and we had some of the most deliscious food I've ever had in my life - all in just two weeks! 
The first day we went sight seeing in London, a truly gorgeous city with some of the most amazing sights. We hopped on the metro (a wonderment in an of itself) and stopped off at Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, then off to Big Ben and the London Eye...we also walked around quite a bit getting lost!
We really enjoyed finding our way around the city and checking out the sights, but I think one of my favorites was the early morning cab ride to St. Pancras Station to catch our train to Paris. It was nice to see the city early in the morning before all the tourists filled the streets, and seeing all the old buildings. There is so much we didn't get a chance to see, and I can't wait to go back already! 
The church grounds most likely started out as a Celtic ritual site, as the Church Warden explained, with ancient Yew trees encircling the grounds. One of those trees is still standing in the churchyard, and is thought to be nearly 1,200 years old! The grounds have been a site of worship in one form or another since then. The oldest part of the current structure is estimated to have been built in the 12th century. The most amazing part to me is that the church is still in use today and continues to be a communal project - a piece of living history. 
Although I only had a few short hours to spend in Wales, it was one of my favorite stops on our trip. The people were wonderfully nice, the countryside was breathtaking, and getting a chance to connect with my own family history was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many thanks to my friends at St. Teilo's for opening the church for us! I hope our paths cross again!
It's tiny spaces, often dark and mysterious looking, were filled to the brim with art, history, philosophy and more. Conversations hung in the air along with open ended lines from practicing theatrical types; and starving writers, veraciously reading and scribbling notes, spilled out from copious book laden nooks. It reminded me of my college days when I too dreamed of writing eloquent novels that would appeal to the masses - alas, dreams have a way of changing and adapting into cooking blogs sometimes!
After my sentimental trip to the bookstore, we at last had a chance to stroll through the streets. Notre Dame peaked it's head over the trees, but we were enjoying our stroll too much to go in. We finished the night at a little restaurant, drinking wine and listening to the occasional street performances that wafted our way. We managed to get back to our hotel room with just enough energy to topple into bed and go to sleep.
The next morning, well rested and equipped with comfy shoes, we headed off to see the Louvre. I had heard about it's massive size from several people who had visited before, but was not prepared for just how large it is! Someone told me that their friend took a two week trip to Paris JUST to visit the Louvre - I thought they were exaggerating, but it really is THAT big. We were there all day and saw maybe a 10th of what there is to see there - probably less.
When our aching feet finally led us toward the exit signs, it was hard not to stop at each new something around the corner - one more glass case filled with brilliantly carved jewelry, or one more elaborately painted sarcophagus! At last we had to force ourselves to walk past the rows and rows of ancient artifacts, knowing that we would never be able to leave otherwise. I would love to go back some day when I have more than a day to visit...and maybe a portable foot massager!
I really wish I would have gotten pictures of the things I did like, but I guess you'll just have to use your imagination! The hands-down, favorite thing I ate was a fresh waffle with apricot jam from a street vendor - yum! It was warm and squishy, and the jam filled in all the nooks and crannies and threatened to spill out onto your shirt when you took a bite. I also really enjoyed the banana nutella crepe I had one evening after a long day of sightseeing. I did my best to share with Dustin on both accounts, but it wasn't easy!