Great Appetizer Recipe - Southwestern Egg Rolls

If you like Chili's Southwestern Egg Rolls you will love this recipe!

Ingredients

·         2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half

·         2 tablespoons minced green onion

·         2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

·         1/3 cup frozen corn kernels

·         1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

·         2 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I also used shredded carrots in a pinch)

·         2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers

·         1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (I omitted this)

·         1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

·         1/2 teaspoon chili powder

·         1/3 teaspoon salt

·         1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

·         3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used the Mexican blend of shredded cheese)

·         5 (6 inch) flour tortillas (I used Egg Roll wrappers instead)

·         1 quart oil for deep frying (I used the oil to brush on the bottom of the pan and on the tops of the egg rolls and baked for 10 min or so until they were light brown)

Directions

1.     Rub 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over chicken breast. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.

2.     Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.

3.     Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.

4.     Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable. (Once again I skipped this step and used egg roll wrappers instead)

5.     Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with toothpicks. Arrange in a medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours. (I also skipped this step and followed the instruction on the egg roll wrappers to seal them)

6.     In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving. (I brushed the pan with oil and then the tops of the egg rolls and baked at 450 for 10 min until they were golden brown)

I served this with Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch thinned with a little milk to make a sauce.

Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe

Rolled Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cups butter 5 cups flour

2 cups sugar 2 t baking powder

4 eggs 1 t salt

1 t vanilla

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the baking powder, salt and flour. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400o. Rollout dough on floured surface ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cut into shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 - 8 minutes. Until set but not browned.

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup powdered sugar ¼ t almond extract

2 t milk (or more) food coloring

2 t light corn syrup

Stir all ingredients together except the food coloring.

Divide into separate bowls and add color to desired intensity.

Spread on cookies and let them dry completely. They will dry hard.  Yu may need to leave them out overnight.