It’s that time of year again: Cinco de Mayo is only weeks away. We live in San Diego, and it is time to clean up the grill for the summer season and start playing with our meat. Get your minds out of the gutter – you know what I mean. It’s time to break out the dry rubs, mesquite chips and, my favorite, marinades. Grilling meat and poultry is perfect for the Southern California lifestyle; it is a quick, outdoor solution to cooking tasty proteins with little mess and easy cleanup. With Mexican cooking offering some great flavors and textures, this fajita recipe is my Cinco de Mayo favorite. If you want to make it even easier, buy the beef and chicken premarinated at the grocery store, though I recommend doing it yourself.

Great Mexican restaurants are all around us, so you can pick up the rice, beans, chips and salsa from your local favorite eatery to complete the meal.

Now, fire up that grill, whip your meat out and start the summer season with a little Mexican in ya’!

If you have suggestions or recipes you’d like to share, send an e-mail to gltrecipebox@gmail.com

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.25-ounce) can low-salt beef broth

Fajitas:

1 (1-pound) flank steak

1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast

2 red bell peppers, each cut into 12 wedges

2 green bell peppers, each cut into 12 wedges

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 16 wedges

Cooking spray

16 (6-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

1 cup bottled salsa

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Fresh cilantro sprigs

Preparation

To prepare marinade, combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

To prepare fajitas, trim fat from steak. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of the steak. Combine 1 1/2 cups marinade, steak, and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator four hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Combine remaining marinade, bell peppers, and onion in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for four hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove steak and chicken from bag; discard marinade. Remove vegetables from bag; reserve marinade. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; set aside. Place steak, chicken, and vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook eight minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Wrap tortillas tightly in foil; place tortilla packet on grill rack the last two minutes of grilling time. Bring reserved marinade to a boil. Cut steak and chicken diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Place the steak, chicken, and vegetables on a serving platter; drizzle with reserved marinade.

Arrange about one ounce steak, about one ounce chicken, three bell pepper wedges and one onion wedge in a tortilla; top with one tablespoon salsa, about one teaspoon sour cream, and half a tablespoon cilantro. Fold sides of tortilla over filling. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.