Even though I’m not participating in a 40 Day Paleo Challenge, I’m still cooking for someone who is – so for the time being, I’m making dinner like any good cave woman would.
Namely, low-carb/grain free chicken fajitas. Just call me Wilma Flintstone.
Lettuce as a our tortilla was the only thing I did differently to make these chicken fajitas Paleo friendly. You could obviously use a regular flour tortilla here in place of lettuce if that’s what floats your boat. (And if you can float a boat with flour tortillas, you must tell me and we will alert the National Academy of Physics! Or whoever is in charge of gravity, momentum, centrifugal force, etc, etc.)
With a big ol’ head of Boston bibb lettuce in one corner of your kitchen, slice up a red pepper and onion and saute in the cooking fat of your choice. I like real butter or coconut oil, but I’m guessing that Betty Rubble probably used Dinosaur Lard.
When the peppers and onions are soft, add diced, pre-cooked chicken breasts (mine came from a whole chicken that I’d roasted that morning) to the pan with a simple homemade fajita sauce, if you prefer to save yourself from any funky ingredients that come in packaged sauces 0r seasoning packets.
A Very Simple Fajita Sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
dash of chili powder
crushed red pepper to taste (if you like it spicy!)
1 c water or chicken broth, more as needed
I let the chicken and vegetables simmer (covered) in the sauce for about 15 minutes (stirring occasionally and shredding chicken a little as it cooked) while prepping our lettuce tortillas and dicing up an avocado. It was then time to call Fred Flinstone and Bam Bam to the table.
Yabba Dabba Do!
That’s a blob of greek yogurt on mine, in case you’re wondering. (Paleolithic people can leave that off. Non-Paleolithic people, consider adding some shredded cheese too!)
This dinner was really good, just a little messy – I might try romaine lettuce next time to see if it holds up better. If the idea of using lettuce as a wrap feels a little ludicrous to you, let me say that it’s not much different than eating a chicken fajita salad. With the right seasonings and toppings, you won’t even notice the calories and carbs you’re saving, you’ll be too busy devouring this classic, prehistoric meal!
Looks fabulous, I’d eat one right now…! Yes, try Romaine. When I catered the sailing weekends lettuce wraps were all the rage…mini sandwiches on dinner rolls were a close second. The bigger leaves were very flexible and the inner leaves served as sort of a scoop. Both very servicable. I like Fajitas from sliced steak and long-cut peppers and onions prepared in a very hot cast iron skillet (just happen to have a dandy). Ingedients cook quickly over a charcoal fire with smoke added from soaked hickory chips. Stir briskly! Use a thick pot holder, that baby’s handle is HOT. Lots of love. BBQ Big Daddy
i use the hydroponic butterhead. nice little cups. put two together and… perfect! look on my GF board on pinteret for more inspiration. S will eat just about anything in a lettuce wrap you cn put in anything bready. (can paleo people have raw sauerkraut/kimchi?)
I’ll look for it! And yes, fermented veggies are definitely on the approved list of things to eat. I’ve been making kimchi and have a post coming about it soon!
Large swiss chard leaves work well, too
I’ve found that radicchio leaves stand up well to Paleo wraps. And the color has some nutritional plus…right? One head is about the price of a loaf of bread…..sheesh. What’s this world coming to?