If you've never heard of Rajas before - today's your day! At it's simplest form Rajas are just strips of poblano peppers that are roasted or sautéed and usually smashed into tacos, quesadillas or in my case...Veggie Fajita Bowls!
While we were in Mexico City a few months back we were on the LOOKOUT for anything involving Rajas. I've been a fan for years ever since first trying them at a taco shop up in Santa Barbara. Typically they are sliced poblano peppers smothered in cheese and folded into a taco. You could leave at that and it's perfection. I've been so obsessed I branched out because tacos or taco salad for dinner every night felt a bit aggressive.
I've taken the flavors of Rajas and turn them into fajitas! Made them into queso and added them to salsa. I've folded them into skillet bakes, and eaten them plain straight out of the pan. I'm obsessed and I can guarantee you will be too! Today they are getting cooked up with some additional bell peppers to make enough for leftovers and served with Instant Pot beans, Cauli-rice and a hearty spoonful of guacamole for the perfect Veggie Fajita Bowls!
These Rajas Veggie Fajita Bowls are the vegetarian / vegan recipe of your dreams. Although full transparency, I usually add in a handful of shredded Monterey jack cheese because it feels right!! But if you omit that, you've got a plant based bowl that will rock your world!! And it feed roughly 4-6, so you'll have plenty for lunches if you want to take to work! Just wait to add the guacamole until right before serving so you can warm up the bowl without warming up the guac.
Rajas Veggie Fajita Bowls
Ingredients
For the Black Beans
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 3-4 chipotles in adobo
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups water
For the Rajas Fajita Veggies
- 2 poblano peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
For the Cauliflower rice
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 bunch dinosaur kale thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Topping
- 1 recipe Homemade Guacamole
Instructions
For the Black Beans
- Turn the instant pot to saute. Add the oil, red onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the spices and peppers and stir to combine. Add the dry beans, salt, and water in the bowl of the Instant Pot and give it a stir. Cover with the lid, and be sure to turn the vent at the top to the "sealed" position. Set the Instant Pot to cook for 45 minutes on the Chili setting. When the timer goes off, let the steam pressure naturally release for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove the lid. Drain the beans from most of their liquid and store them in an airtight container the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
For the Rajas Fajita Veggies
- While the beans are cooking, saute the veggies until semi-soft and season with salt, pepper and lime juice.
For the Cauliflower rice
- Make sure your cauliflower is fully dry. Place the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until it has the texture of rice. Work in batches and don’t over process or it will get mushy. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the kale and sauté until wilted. Add the cauliflower and saute, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice to help remove any bitterness from the raw cauliflower.
Assembly
- Portion the Cauliflower rice into 4 serving bowls. Add a spoonful of the beans to each bowl and a spoonful of the fajita veggies. Top with plenty of guacamole and serve.
Phenomenal! I just made this for dinner tonight & it was super delicious! Thank you for a fabulous vegan dinner. Xoxo.
Loved this recipe!!! Used canned beans and cooked on low on stove. Delicious!
We made this for dinner last night and LOVED it! I do not have a pressure cooker and didn't have time, so just used canned beans that I added to the cooked onions and garlic + some fresh orange juice and water for moisture and let it cook down /get a little mashed while I was making the cauli rice and peppers. Thanks for the great recipe!
The recipe for the black beans lists pinto beans in the ingredient list instead of black beans. The beans in the picture of the bowl are pinto.
Oh, I love this recipe, looks delicious and healthy. I need to try it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
What if you don’t have an instant pot ?
Here you go! https://whatsgabycooking.com/?p=41173&preview=true&_thumbnail_id=41179
This recipe is the bomb.com. I have to admit I cheated though. Since my Instant Pot is out of commission right now, and I was really hangry, I sautéed the onions/garlic on the stove top, added the spices and peppers, then added 2 cans of (black) beans WITH their liquid, brought to a boil, then simmered until the liquid amount was to my liking. The only word of caution I would throw out when using this method, is to start off with less salt since the canned bean liquid may or may not contain some. Long story short, I will be putting this recipe on repeat. Thank you for the inspiration.
Have never heard of this, but it looks and sounds delicious. I love all the goodies in this fajita bowl!