Recipe Swap Thursday: Father Leo's Fusion Fajitas

Normally I wouldn't post a recipe that I haven't tried, but I'm so excited about this one I couldn't wait! Thanks to Therese from The Musings of a Mom for hosting this meme. (According to her most recent blog post, her new baby was to be born today! Pop on over and wish her congratulations!)

It was only recently that I heard about Father Leo Patalinghug and Grace Before Meals. Last night on The Food Network, Father Leo appeared on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and his Fusion Fajita recipe was put to the test against Bobby's version. I won't tell you whose recipe won out, but you can see for yourself when the show is re-aired later this month. (Click here for details!)

Believe it or not, I couldn't find a written version of the recipe anywhere. I'm hoping to try to make these this weekend; maybe I'll email Father Leo for the recipe. :) In this Grace Before Meals episode, he seasons the steak with salt, garlic powder, and oregano and cooks it about 15 minutes on each side. For Food Network, he makes a marinade with brown sugar, soy sauce, and some other things (I need to record it again to find out; I already deleted it). I'll probably try the marinated version; but I have a feeling it's delicious either way.

UPDATE, JULY 2011: I finally picked up the latest edition of Grace Before Meals, and the fusion fajita recipe is in there! I was so excited. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope I will soon. It's kind of long, but I know lots of you come here looking for it, so here it is:

FATHER LEO'S FUNKY FUSION FAJITAS

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/4 pounds flank steak

MARINADE

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

HOLY GUACAMOLE

2 avocadoes, halved and pits removed

Juice from 1 lime

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons minced parsley

2 teaspoons minced cilantro

4 teaspoons finely minced red onion

4 teaspoons olive oil

VEGETABLES

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

2 colored peppers, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

2 to 4 tablespoons of the reserved marinade

Salt and pepper to taste

SCREAMIN' SOUR CREAM

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

tortillas

Use a fork and poke holes in the steak to tenderize. Place in a resealable plastic bag and set aside. In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients together and whisk until fully incorporated. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade. Pour the rest of the marinade in the bag with the flank steak and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

To cook the steak, heat grill to high. Place steaks and turn down heat to medium. Cook for 7 minutes on each side and let rest for 7 minutes. When preparing to sere, cut thin strips against the grain of the meat.

To prepare the guacamole, remove the flesh from the avocadoes and immediately pour the lime juice on top to prevent the flesh from turning brown. Combine the rest of the guacamole ingredients and mash together with a fork. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To prepare the vegetables, heat olive oil and garlic in a pan over high heat. Add the vegetables and saute' for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the reserved 1/4 cup marinade and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Take off heat and set aside.

To make the sour cream, mix together the sour cream, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the fajitas: Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of guacamole over tortilla. Add 4 to 5 thin slices of meat. Add a few pieces of stir-fried vegetables. Top with sour cream. Pray and eat!

Grace Before Meals, by Father Leo Patalinghug, p. 21-22