So originally I had only planned on making the steak fajitas for dinner, however I thought I may need something to supplement the wraps. I flicked through my roasting tin recipe book, and scanned through my fridge. Finally I  chose mozzarella topped aubergines, with lemon and chilli.

My ingredients were…
Fajitas:

– 1 rump steak
– 1 sweet red pepper
– 1 orange pepper
– 1 red onion
– 1 red chilli
– 2tsp ground coriander
– 2tsp cumin
– 2tsp smoked paprika
– Tortilla
– Spinach
– Creme freche
– Guacamole

Aubergines

– 1 aubergine
– 1 lemon squeezed and rind
– 1/2 red chilli deseeded
– Olive oil
– Seasoning

With my glamorous assistant I began prepping the aubergines. Slicing them in eighths, I lightly drizzled the veg with oil and added salt and pepper in one of my roasting tins. The oven was set to 180degrees, with the aubergine only taking about 35 minutes.

 

Whilst the aubergine was cooking I began making the sauce to accompany it. In a small bowl I whisked oil, one squeezed lemon, plus some of the bitter rind, and 1/2 de-seeded red chilli.

Onto the mozzarella…

Draining it from its liquid, I tore apart the mozzarella into chunks, and topped with a few spoons of the spicy lemon sauce.

Whilst the aubergine finished cooking we began prepping the other tray for the fajitas. I thinly sliced the rump steak- which was a BARGAIN at only £2.35 from Aldi- and after also slicing one orange pepper and one large sweet red pepper, it was almost ready for the oven!

Along with the beef and peppers, I also thinly sliced one red onion. Once all of my fajita ingredients were in the large roasting tray, it was time to add the seasoning. Read out by my assistant Jack I carefully measured the ground coriander, cumin and smoked paprika combining them with the meat and veg. I mixed everything with my hands, ensuring all the flavours would infuse into the strips of beef.

At this point my aubergines had nicely browned, and the flesh was soft, so I knew it was time to get the out of the oven. In the roasting tin I poured over the remaining sauce and let it sit for a few minutes.

Now that the oven was free, I cracked the grill onto full heat and waited for a minute or so for it to get super hot. The recipe states to put it under for 4/5 minutes, however I wanted the beef to be slightly rarer, so I opted for 3 minutes. After this time was up I stirred the mixture, ensuring the pink beef was at the surface, and then heated it under the grill for another 3 minutes.

The smell from the spices, and the juices from the meat wafted out of the oven, and this was the cue to set the table. To go alongside the fajita meat and veg we had mini co-op tortillas, creme freche and spinach. I also rustled up some homemade guacamole, made from: 1/2 avocado, lime juice, chilli flakes and salt and pepper.

The tortillas were piled high with the ingredients, and the aubergines added a tangy side that were now refreshing and cool. The mozzarella also worked as an extra on my lovely flavoursome fajitas!! Also it was the first time Jack had ever eaten aubergine, and he enjoyed it, so it was a win:win!

These are both recipes I would DEFINITELY make again, being both healthy and low cost!

Per person, for the fajita dinner, the cost would be around £1.90 (depending on how much spinach/creme freche you use). This price doesn’t include the spices, as I already had these in my cupboard, but you can get individually spice bottles for around £1.50- and they last for AGES!

The whole cost for the aubergine side is £1.50, however this doesn’t account for oil and seasoning I already had in my cupboard. The mozzarella was really tasty, and only 49p, which is also great for salads and rice/pasta dishes.