An Espirational Cinco de Mayo Progressive Dinner

 

Today is Cinco de Mayo.  May is also Celiac Disease Awareness Month.  Sounds like two good reasons to celebrate to me.  Let’s Party!  I invited Shirley Braden of Gluten Free Easily,  Anne-Marie Bacon of My Sweet Marie and Carrie Niesen of Gluten Free Fabulous to join me in an online Progressive Dinner.  Instead of going from house to house for each course, we will be going from blog to blog.

What I love about this is that we all came up with recipes that are naturally gluten free.  Yes, even gluten eaters will love these dishes that include lots of naturally gluten free whole foods.  How good is that?!

I am hosting the entrée and we are having fajitas.  This is an easy way to serve a group and accommodate various dietary needs.  I serve buffet style with corn tortillas (you could also purchase special gluten free tortillas), grilled beef, chicken and veggies and lots of lettuce (Bob likes to make a salad and skip the tortillas) along with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.  Everyone can then choose ingredients to make their own.  Fajitas are also traditionally served with rice and refried beans, but you can choose to serve them with something else if you wish.

Beef, Chicken or Veggie Fajitas with Corn Tortillas

Serves 4 to 6 but is easily converted to a larger recipe to serve more.

The Marinade: 2 Tablespoons lime juice ¼ cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 cloves garlic minced Pour marinade over the steak and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  You are using a tougher cut of meat so this is necessary. Pour marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.  If you marinate chicken too long it will turn to mush.

The Meat Steak (skirt steak is traditional but you may also use round steak) — allow 1/4 pound per person Boneless skinless chicken breasts  — allow 1/4 pound per person If you are going to grill the meat leave it whole and slice thinly against the grain after it is cooked. You may also cut your meat into strips against the grain first and pan fry on top- of the stove in a little oil.

The Veggies 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced 1 onion, sliced thin 1 yellow squash sliced (if squash is large cut slices in half) 1 zucchini squash sliced The peppers and onion are traditional.  I like to add the squash for a vegetarian fajita.  I like to marinate my veggies for about an hour.  The veggies may be grilled using a special grill pan or stir fried on top of the stove.

The Tortillas I use corn tortillas.  Of course flour tortillas are traditional but will not work for a gluten free diet.  You may also purchase specialty gluten free tortillas.  Keep in mind that these are going to be a little pricey so you offer them only to your gluten free guests if desired.

The Flair Shredded lettuce may also be used to make a salad by those who prefer to skip the tortillas, so be sure to have plenty on hand.  This is one tasty gluten free option that Bob usually chooses. Sour cream is a nice addition for differences in texture as well as to cool down the heat if you make your fajitas spicy but it can be left off.  If you know you have a guest who does not eat dairy you may provide a dairy free substitute if you wish. Guacamole  may be found in the refrigerator case (read the label), but guacamole is really easy to make.  Just remember the lime juice and don’t make it too far ahead or it will turn black.) Salsa  or Pico de Gallo may be homemade or use your favorite from a jar.  Be sure to read the label.

 

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Don’t forget to check out the other courses of our progressive dinner.

Soup – Shirley Braden of Gluten Free Easily   http://glutenfreeeasily.com/gluten-free-chicken-tortilla-soup/

Salad – Anne-Marie Bacon of My Sweet Marie https://mysweetmarie.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/ensalada-por-cinco-de-mayo/

Dessert – Carrie Niesen of Gluten Free Fabulous https://carriegf.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/arroz-con-leche/

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Rogene Robbins loves the gluten free life.  She is the author of the eBook The Gluten Free Good Life available in the Amazon Kindle store. 

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This post is linked to: 

Moonlight and Mason Jars link party at http://www.thenewlywedpilgrimage.com/moonlight-mason-jars/link-party-196-mexican-entrees/     

Sugar and Spice Link Party #156 at  http://sugarspiceandfamilylife.com/2017/05/sugar-spice-link-party-156.html