Steak Fajitas with all the trimmings

Steak Fajitas & Wendell Willis Interview

Steak Fajitas – Tex-Mex Steak fajitas (pronounced fah-heetas), made with strips of steak, onions, and bell peppers, and served with fresh tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

Charlie DeSando and Wendell Willis
Charlie DeSando and Wendell Willis

Meet Wendell Willis, Managing Director, Froedtert Health & Milwaukee Bucks and previously the Executive Director of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Foundation (http://mpsfdn.com/).  He is our guest for Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders.

Froedtert Health
Froedtert Health
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks

Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders

The idea for this interview/cooking segment comes from the HBOMax TV Show Selena+Chef (https://www.hbomax.com/selenarecipes), where Selena Gomez learns to cook, from world-renowned chefs, like Jose Andres, Marcus Samuelson, and Rachel Ray. Towards the end of each show, they talk about the foundation, charity, or non-profit that the chef is involved with.

Selena +Chef
Selena +Chef

My idea is slightly different. I will be interviewing community leaders here in Milwaukee, discussing their roles in being a difference-maker. And then we cook something (their choice). Wendell gives a short interview about his background and his work in the community. Then he will show us how to make one of his favorite dishes, Steak Fajitas. And tops off this great meal with his famous Margarita recipe.

How to make Steak Fajitas

You can make fajitas with steak or chicken, or even make it plain vegetarian. Steak fajitas make a quick and easy meal perfect for weeknight meals.

The earliest mention of the word fajita referring to food that can be found, appeared around 1975. Ten years later it had become one of the most popular dishes of Tex-Mex cuisine.

The word fajita comes from the Spanish faja, which means girdle or strip. It refers to a cheap cut of beef covering the cow’s diaphragm. It was not something desired by the locals. In the 1940s, workers on Mexican ranchs used to tenderize the meat by pounding it and then marinating it in lime juice. Then they cooked it over an open fire. They served the meat in a tortilla along with lots of condiments. No menton of Margaritas while they consumed their fajitas.

Today, fajitas can be filled with grilled chicken, shrimp, and even vegetables. And the more popular the dish became, the less likely it was to be made with skirt steak. Today, Wendell is using sirloin steak. Typical condiments include lettuce, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, or guacamole.

Making Margaritas

And the final touch to Wendell’s meal is the Margarita on the rocks – which is guaranteed to have you do zero work after this meal.

History of Margaritas

Like most cocktails, the history behind the margarita is not clear. You can read this article on “Who invented the Margarita” – https://southernfood.org/news/2021/8/12/margaritaville-who-invented-the-margarita. But it will not answer the question to anyone’s satisfaction.

The margarita is a cocktail that’s a combination of tequila, orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec or Cointreau), and fresh lime juice. A margarita can be enjoyed on the rocks or blended, with a salted, sugared, or plain rim and is usually served with a slice of lime.

The International Bartenders Association (IBA) designates the margarita a “contemporary classic” and it’s regularly ranked among the top-selling cocktails in the world.

Wendell makes his classic Margarita the following way –

Wendell’s Margarita Recipe (AKA The Willis-Rita)

  • 3 Limes juiced
  • Salt (for the rim of the glass)
  • Ice
  • 4 oz Tequila
  • 2 oz Triple sec
  • 2 tbsp Simple syrup

To make the Margarita, put the juiced limes, Tequila, Triple Sec, and Simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until mixed well. Strain over a glass full of ice and with a salted rim. Enjoy them with your Steak Fajitas.

Steak Fajitas with all the trimmings

Steak Fajitas

Steak Fajitas, with an Easy Margarita Recipe – Tex-Mex fajitas, made with strips of steak, onions, and bell peppers.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Marinate the Steak: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: TexMex
Keyword: Fajitas, Margarita
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 329kcal

Equipment

  • No special equipment needed

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp Smoked paprika
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Steak and Veggies

  • 1 large sirloin steak
  • 1 Onion sliced
  • 2 Bell Peppers sliced
  • 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Garnishes

  • Flour Tortillas
  • Sour cream
  • Guacamole or avocado
  • Lettuce and/or Cilantro
  • Shredded cheese – Mexican or nacho mix
  • Salsa of your choice
  • Hot Sauce

Instructions

  • For the marinade, put the first 9 ingredients in a bowl and mix together
    Limes into the marinade
  • Take 50% of the mix and put it into a bag with the steak
    Steak in the marinade
  • The other 50% will be put into a skillet with the veggies
  • Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a skillet on medium heat
  • Sauté the onions and peppers
    Peppers added to the onions
  • Add the reserved marinade to the veggies
  • While the veggies soften, Put the steak in the broiler for about 5-6 minutes
    Cutting the steak
  • Flip steak halfway through and depending on thickness
  • Cook Steak for another 5 minutes in the broiler – taking it out at medium to medium rare
  • Cut the Steak into strips
    Steak out of the broiler
  • Add it to the veggies in the skillet and let it all simmer together.
    Steak added to veggies
  • Serve with your favorite garnishes and accompainments

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.4g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 737mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 20mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Cooking Secrets for Men 

Please “like” our YouTube Videos and follow us on our YouTube Channel. Cooking Secrets For Men is also on other Social Media sites FacebookPinterestInstagram, and Twitter.

“Cooking Secrets for Men” is listed as one of the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Websites on the Internet.  You can read that article here. See where we rank for Men’s Cooking Websites.

If you like this recipe for Steak Fajitas, you should try our recipe for Dominican Empanadas.

Unpaid by the following companies –

Aloha Honey – https://alohahoney.farm/collections/all-products

Paradise Fruit Co – https://www.paradisefruitco.com/paradise-online-store/

Grillaholics – https://www.grillaholics.com/?ref=CSFM20 (Use Discount Code CSFM20 for all products)

Javy Coffee – https://javycoffee.com/collections/javy

ChefsTemp Thermometers – https://www.chefstemp.com/product/finaltouchx10-meat-thermometer/?tw=cookingsecretsformenThe Discount code is in the link.

E-Cookbooks for free Download

(Of course, Free) – E-Cookbook Vol 5 – Poultry and Chicken ready to download

(Free) – E-Cookbook Vol 4 – “Pasta” (written in English and Italian) is now available to download.

(Yes, Free) –  E-Cookbook Vol 3 – “Appetizers” now available for free download at this link

(Free) – E-Cookbook Series Vol. 2 – “Soups & Stews” is available for free download

(Free) – E-Cookbook Vol 1 – “Sauces you’ll use – A lot”, is available for free download

All of our e-cookbooks are available on our download page.

You can submit your special recipe to us. We would love to recreate it and give you credit. And make a YouTube Video. Just go to this link “Recipe & YouTube Suggestions”. It is at the top of our home page. Click this link for an example of a Recipe Submission from a Subscriber.

We are always looking to collaborate with other bloggers.   If interested in a conversation about some sort of collaboration, please contact me. And, send me one of your aprons. I’ll wear it and promote your channel and merchandise.

If you have comments or questions, please contact us at cookingsecretsformen@gmail.com

8 thoughts on “Steak Fajitas & Wendell Willis Interview”

Leave a Reply