Posting all those photos from freshman year made me a little heartsick for my friends that are spread out all over the place now. Football season is just not the same post-grad and Throwback Thursdays push me a little over the edge with nostalgia now and then, anyways. So, what’s a girl to do? Slave away in the kitchen, of course! (just kidding!) But practicing a new recipe is a perfect distraction, and hey look a there after a night in the kitchen I wake up and it’s Friday so that’s pretty cool.
Pinterest is great at inspiration for new meals, and I can scour the recipes looking for the ones without monstrous lists of ingredients. I’m kind of a (giant) mess maker when I’m attempting to cook, so given an empty house for the evening is a perfect opportunity to try something new and not feel guilty about it. Earlier this week I did those chicken spinach quesadillas, and apple chips so last night armed with all the ingredients, I decided it was time to try these Southwestern Egg Rolls from Budget Savvy Diva! (You can click that link to see the original recipe.)
Apple chips! (The photos on Pinterest always use red apples, but I had this green one that needed to be used for something!)
I swear that’s the best quesadilla I’ve ever made, (I think it’s from the broth and cooking it open faced until the end.)
Granted, again I tweeked the recipe a little (notice that trend, hmm?) It was still pretty similar, but here’s what I did:
(That’s the egg roll filling all mixed up.)
And the wrapper so you have an idea.
South Western Egg Rolls
1 cups frozen corn, thawed
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used reduced sodium beans, and a little less than that since I had reduced the amount of corn based on what was in my freezer!)
1-9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (which felt like plenty, I didn’t want cheese oozing out of my wrappers)
4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
1 green onions, finely chopped (I had a stalk of fresh raw scallions so I just chopped up what looked like a reasonable amount, less than 1/2 a cup)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of egg roll wrappers
There’s a diagram on the back of the egg roll wrapper package that will show you how to wrap them. I haven’t had much trouble with them so far!
Just lay the wrapper flat with the point making a triangle facing you (like a diagonal,) and then put the filling in.
You roll from the bottom up, folding the corners in. I think it looks like a little envelope.
(I like to bake them for a few minutes longer than the 12 called for on the package because I like them kind of crunchy and browned at the edges.)
for the Ranch Avocado Dipping Sauce
(I was just making these for myself last night, and planned to put the extras in the freezer so I didn’t need as much dip as the original recipe called for.)
2 TBSP Ranch Dressing (I used fat-free because it was on sale at the store.)
1 spoonful of avocado
1 TBSP fresh cilantro
1 squeeze of a fresh lime
(mashed that all together in a little bowl, tada yummy creamy sauce that adds a good contrasting texture to the rolls!)
Finished product!
If you haven’t experimented with egg roll wrappers yet, I highly recommend them. It’s so easy to make a little “healthier” version of some classic indulgent snacks like cheese sticks!
I just popped a few of these in the toaster oven at work – perfect lunch treat! If you decide to try them out, I hope you enjoy! Got any recipes you wanna share with me? Let me know in the comments!
Note: I accidentally left my camera in Orlando the weekend of the treehouse adventures, so all these photos are from my iPhone.
Mugs Life 