Vegetable Fajitas with Mexican Rice and Homemade Salsa

This tasted very similar to the restaurant version!  The rice recipe made a lot, so there is enough for leftovers.  This took a while to make, but if I were to make it again, I would try to prepare the rice and salsa ahead of time to save a little time on dinner night.  It was really  good, though, so the effort was worth it.  Pair with a garden salad for a complete meal. 

Ingredients:

For the fajitas:

Flour tortillas, fajita sized

1 can refried black beans

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 yellow squash, sliced into half moons

1/2 cup salsa (see recipe below)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the Mexican rice:

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 medium white onion, diced

2-3 medium jalapenos, minced

2 cups uncooked long grain white rice

1/3 cup oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 lime

For the salsa:

2, 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed

1/2 yellow onion, quartered

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 clove garlic, crushed and skin removed

salt to taste

Directions:

For the fajitas:

In a small saucepan, heat refried black beans over medium heat, thinning with water as needed until smooth.

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onions, red and green peppers, and garlic.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in squash, salsa, salt and cumin.  Cover and cook 5 more minutes.  

For the Mexican rice:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  

Place onion and tomato in blender and puree until smooth.  Transfer mixture to a measuring cup - it should measure 2 cups.  If there is a slight discrepancy, add water to make up the difference.  

Finely chop jalapenos and set aside.

Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear - about 1.5 minutes.  This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick together.

Heat oil in a medium/large oven-safe sauce pan.  Drop a few grains of rice into the heated oil.  If they sizzle then the oils is hot enough.  Add the rice and fry, stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and jalapenos.  Cook stirring constantly for ~1.5 minutes.  

Stir in broth, pureed tomato mixture, tomato paste, and salt.  Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.  Cover pan and transfer to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 30-35 minutes.  Stir well after 15 minutes.  

Stir in cilantro and lime juice to taste.

For the salsa:

Pour 1 can of tomatoes into a blender, add the jalapeno, onion, cilantro leaves, lime juice, garlic, and salt.  Blend until fairly smooth.  Pour in second can of tomatoes and blend briefly.  Adjust seasonings to taste by adding more lime juice and salt.  Let salsa rest for 1/2 before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/colorful-vegetable-fajitas/ and http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-rice-117892 and http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-blender-salsa/