Vegetarian Recipes

Rainbow Veggie Fajitas

https://www.loveandlemons.com/rainbow-veggie-fajitas/

Can you believe the 4th of July is right around the corner? It seems like Memorial Day was just last week! If you’re gearing up for the next big summer BBQ holiday, you have to give these delicious rainbow veggie fajitas a try. They’re super easy to make on the grill, and all the ingredients in this veggie fajita recipe can be found at ALDI, meaning that this whole fajita spread is really affordable too.

I’ve been impressed with the quality of fresh produce and pantry staples at ALDI for a while now, but this season, their array of veggies (at super low prices!) really knocked my socks off. To make things even more convenient, we’ve put together a special Instacart link for you that has all of the ingredients ready to make this recipe – click here!

Now that it’s summer, I can’t get enough of colorful fresh veggies like tomatoes and peppers, and I was SO excited to see these rainbow bell peppers at the store. How pretty is that red, yellow, and green? When I saw them, I knew right away that I’d be making these rainbow fajitas. Along with the pretty peppers, I used bold purple onion for extra color and portobello mushrooms for hearty texture.

Veggie Fajitas are Perfect for Parties!

After making these fajitas, I can tell you that they’re my new go-to summer entertaining dish. Not only can you make them in under 30 minutes, but they’re also ideal for serving a crowd because everyone can customize their final dish to their liking. Jack’s not a fan of avocado (crazy, I know), so he skipped it. I loaded mine up with all the fixings and generous squeezes of lime, and the next day, I enjoyed the leftovers in a burrito bowl with the grilled fajita veggies, rice, beans, arugula, and lots of guac and salsa.

And the best part? The veggies can go straight from the grill to the picnic table at your next backyard celebration.

My Fajita Marinade

You don’t need a fancy fajita seasoning mix to pack these veggie fajitas with flavor. I use a simple 5-ingredient fajita marinade. It’s a lightly spicy mix of avocado oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sea salt. I use Simply Nature Avocado Oil here because I like its neutral taste with the Tex Mex spices. In addition, it’s great for grilling because it has a high smoke point, so you don’t need to worry about putting it on the hot grill.

The mushrooms also get coated with the marinade along with a little balsamic vinegar to make them extra juicy and flavorful. And once everything’s cooked, I brighten up all the veggies with a generous squeeze of lime.

How to Make Fajitas

Once you’ve mixed your marinade together, this recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. Here’s what you need to do:

Slice your veggies! I like to cut the onions into wedges and the peppers into thin slices. Just stem the mushrooms and leave the caps whole.
Drizzle on the marinade. Toss the peppers with a scant tablespoon of the marinade, and pour the remaining marinade over the mushrooms and onions. Rub a splash of balsamic vinegar onto the mushrooms too.
It’s time to grill! Preheat the grill with a cast iron skillet or grill pan on one side. When it’s hot, put the pepper slices in the hot skillet and grill the mushrooms and onions directly on the grill grates.
Don’t forget to flip halfway… Cook until the veggies soften and char marks form on the onions and mushrooms, flipping halfway through. I use tongs to toss the peppers in the skillet and cook until they get a little char too.
Enjoy! Slice the mushroom caps and serve the fajita veggies with tortillas and your favorite fixings.

What to Serve with Veggie Fajitas

I like to enjoy this fajita recipe with guacamole, pico de gallo, and tomatillo or pineapple salsa for creamy, zesty, and fresh accents. And don’t forget the tortillas – flour tortillas are traditional for fajitas, but corn tortillas are good too.

While these fajitas are a filling meal on their own, you can never go wrong by serving them alongside black beans and cilantro lime rice.

And don’t forget the margaritas!

If you love this veggie fajita recipe…

Get all of the ingredients to make these on Instacart in one click! If you’re a first time ALDI Instacart shopper, use the code ALDILemons19 for $10 off your first three orders of $35 or more.

Happy fajita making!

Rainbow Veggie Fajitas

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: main dish

3 multi-colored peppers, stemmed and sliced into strips
3 portobello mushrooms, stemmed and wiped clean
1 red onion, sliced into wedges
2 tablespoons Simply Nature Avocado Oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon Stonemill Chili Powder, more to taste
½ teaspoon Simply Nature Cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
Splash of balsamic vinegar
2 limes, sliced into wedges
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a grill to medium heat with a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or grill pan) inside.
Arrange the peppers on a tray and the mushrooms and onion wedges on a separate rimmed plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Drizzle 1 scant tablespoon of the mixture over the peppers and toss to coat. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the mushrooms and onions. Drizzle the mushrooms with a splash of balsamic vinegar and use your hands to coat the mushrooms on both sides.
Grill the peppers in the cast-iron pan for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until charred and soft. Be careful not to overfill the pan or the veggies won’t char on the edges – cook them in 2 batches, if necessary. Grill the mushrooms and onion wedges directly on the grill for about 4 minutes about per side. Remove everything from the grill, using a potholder to remove the cast-iron pan. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the peppers and season with salt, pepper, and more chili powder, to taste. Slice the mushrooms into strips and place on a serving dish. Transfer the onions and the peppers to a serving skillet or large platter.
Serve with the tortillas, guacamole, jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, and remaining lime wedges for serving.

3.4.3177

Vegetarian Recipes

Cherry Blondies

Whenever I’m craving something sweet, but I’m sick of the same old same old, I whip up a batch of these fudgy, chewy, fragrant Cherry Blondies! The creamy white chocolate, tart cherries, and crunchy almonds make this recipe stand out. This is not your typical blondie! I don’t use almond extract too often, but pairing its flavor with cherries and white chocolate is just a no-brainer to me. (But a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly!)

Easy Recipe for Cherry Blondies

Blondies are like brownies, just without the cocoa. Instead, they’re made with brown sugar and vanilla, and have the BEST buttery flavor and chewy texture.

For these cherry blondies, I mix in canned cherry pie filling (it adds a sweet-tart cherry flavor without a lot of fuss or cost), slivered almonds, and white chocolate chips. I also brown the butter first to bring out a nutty, almost toffee-like richness that’s totally worth the extra few minutes. A mix of brown and white sugar strikes the perfect balance of moisture and structure, while a splash of almond extract adds a frangipane-style flavor. Bake them once, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to this combo. 😋

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Cherry Blondies

These easy Cherry Blondies are loaded with white chocolate, almonds, and cherry pie filling for a sweet treat that’s simple to make and hard to resist.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Total Cost $5.82 recipe / $0.64 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 20

Total Time 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 429kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

8×8” Baking Dish
Parchment Paper
3 Mixing Bowls
Sauce Pan
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour $0.28
½ tsp baking powder $0.02
¼ tsp salt $0.01
1 large egg $0.29
1 tsp vanilla extract $0.47
½ tsp almond extract $0.15
½ cup cherry pie filling $0.73*
1½ sticks salted butter cut into cubes, $1.48
½ cup granulated sugar $0.19
1 cup brown sugar $0.91
¼ cup white chocolate chips $0.42
¼ cup slivered almonds $0.87

Instructions

Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350℉.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and cherry pie filling. Mix together and set aside.
Cube the butter and melt over medium heat until frothy, whisking once in a while to make sure the milk solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Once butter is browned, it will have a nutty aroma and darken in color. (Babysit it! Don’t let it burn!) Remove from heat.
Combine browned butter with granulated and brown sugar.
Mix with a hand mixer on low until combined. Then, add the wet cherry mixture and continue to mix until combined.
Finally, gently mix in the dry flour mixture little by little until a batter forms.
Fold in white chocolate and almond slivers.
Transfer batter to greased and line baking dish and add some extra white chocolate and almonds on top, if you have them.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. The interior may still be a little gooey. These are chewier than your typical brownie! Enjoy.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*The ingredients in a can of cherry pie filling are pretty simple, but I have found the Duncan Hines Comstock brand “Simply Cherry” in a can to have fewer ingredients and no added coloring, so if you see it next to the regular cherry pie filling, you may want to spring for that can instead. You could try making these with fresh cherries, which I skipped because I couldn’t find any at my local grocery store, just make sure you pit them first!

Nutrition

how to make Cherry Blondies step-by-step photos

The ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper. Set this aside for now.

Flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients: Add 1¾ cups flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.

Cherry pie filling, egg, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a different mixing bowl, combine 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ½ cup of cherry pie filling. Set this aside for now as well.

Brown the butter: Add 1½ sticks of cubed salted butter to a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until frothy, being sure to whisk it once in a while to avoid the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Babysit it, and don’t let it burn! It typically takes about 5-8 minutes for butter to brown.

When the butter is browned, it’ll smell nutty and be darker in color. There will also be flecks of brown throughout (those are toasted milk solids, and they’re full of flavor). Remove it from the heat once done.

Brown and white sugar added to a bowl of browned butter.

Make the batter: Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.

The wet ingredients for cherry blondies added to the creamed butter and sugar.

Use a hand mixer on low to combine the browned butter and sugars. Once mixed, add the wet cherry pie filling mixture and keep mixing until thoroughly combined.

Dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Now, gently fold in the dry flour mixture a little at a time until a thick batter forms.

Slivered almonds added to the batter for cherry blondies.

Finally, fold in ¼ cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup slivered almonds.

The batter for cherry blondies in a lined baking dish.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If you have any extra, top the batter with a few white chocolate chips and slivered almonds to make it look extra pretty.

Finished homemade cherry blondies in a baking dish.

Bake: Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. They’re done once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let your homemade cherry blondies cool for 20 minutes before cutting for the best results. They may still be a little gooey! They’re definitely chewier than your average brownie but just as delicious. Enjoy!

Overhead view of a baking dish of cherry blondies with one missing.

Tips for Browning Butter

I brown the butter in this cherry dessert recipe because it gives the blondies the most amazing, deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter can’t match. You could skip this step and just melt it, but it definitely wouldn’t taste the same.

It’s honestly so easy to brown butter, and only takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how to do it right (we also have a step-by-step breakdown with photos on how to brown butter you can check out, too!):

Use a light-colored pan if you have one. It makes it easier to see the color change.
Watch it closely. Browning happens fast, and it can burn before you know it. Stay nearby and use medium heat.
It’ll start to froth. That’s normal. Just keep gently stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom.
Look for brown flecks. Those are the milk solids toasting, which is exactly what you want.
Pull it off the heat right away. As soon as it smells nutty and the color deepens, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat! It’s ready to use.

You can even make a big batch of browned butter and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and use it in future recipes. It’s obviously delicious in my cherry blondies recipe, but it’s also amazing tossed with plain pasta, drizzled over roasted veggies, or mixed into oatmeal.

Line your pan with parchment paper. It makes it way easier to lift the blondies out and slice them cleanly once they’ve cooled.
Let them cool in the pan. As good as they smell fresh out of the oven, I let my blondies cool for at least 20 minutes to help them set up properly. They’ll slice neater, and the texture will be just right.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. You’re looking for a mostly clean toothpick when inserted into your white chocolate cherry blondies. If you hit a cherry or a melty white chocolate chip, it might smear a bit, so try a second spot! Don’t forget, they may still be a little gooey on the inside rather than cakey.

Storage Instructions

Personally, I enjoy these cherry pie blondies cold! I like to keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and grab one whenever I need a sweet pick-me-up. They’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when stored this way. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.