Southwestern Egg Rolls

Posted by Kimberly:

As I stated in my previous post for the Greek Turkey Burgers, I have been receiving daily emails from SparkPeople.com that have healthy recipes. One email that I received a couple of weeks ago was titled "10 Favorite Restaurant Meals Made Healthier". They had asked their members to make over their favorite restaurant meals by cutting the fat, sodium and calories while keeping the flavor. The winning recipe was "Southwestern Egg Rolls". I, personally, have never ordered southwestern egg rolls at a restaurant. The recipe sounded really good, so I decided to give it a try. I am going to post the recipe as it was emailed to me. Following the original recipe, I will tell you the changes that I made to it.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded flat

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. chopped bell pepper (red or green)

2 tbsp. chopped green onion

2 tbsp. chopped fresh jalapeno pepper

3/4 cup black beans, rinsed (1/2 of a 15 oz. can)

3/4 cup whole kernel corn, rinsed (1/2 of a 15 oz. can)

2 tbsp. chopped, frozen spinach

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

dash cayenne pepper

salt to taste

4 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack for a little extra kick)

5 whole wheat tortillas, 8 inch

1 medium avocado

Broil the chicken breast until the juices run clear. Set aside to cool. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the bell pepper, green onion and jalapeno pepper. Saute a few minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Shred the chicken breast. Add the chicken, black beans, corn, spinach, and spices to the skillet and mix well. Cook for a few more minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Heat each tortilla and add 1/5 of the mixture. Fold the tortilla so it is completely closed. Place on a cookie sheet folded side down. When all five are filled, put cookie sheet in the broiler and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side of the egg roll or until the tortilla is crispy and golden brown. Cut each egg roll diagonally and serve with mashed avocado. If made in advance and frozen for later, bake the egg roll 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees and then broil each side for 2-3 minutes to get the crispy shell.

Now for the changes that I made to the recipe....

Instead of broiling the chicken in the oven, I had some leftover "Chicken Fajita" meat that I had done in the crockpot last week and frozen. (See the July 2010 archives for the recipe I posted for this super easy chicken fajita meat.) Since I had two chicken breasts worth of meat leftover and because I wanted to have enough for leftovers, I doubled the recipe. I omitted the green pepper and fresh jalapeno pepper and only sauteed the green onions. Since the leftover chicken fajita meat was already flavored, I omitted the chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt, and only added the dried parsley and cumin. If you are following the recipe and broil your chicken breast, you will definitely want to add the spices (to your taste) to give it flavor. We chose to dip our egg rolls in "Chipotle Cream Sauce". I posted this recipe a week or two ago within my "Fish Tacos" recipe. (If you have not tried this sauce, you are really missing out! It is sooooo good!!!) You will definitely want something (chipotle cream sauce, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc.) to dip them in or spread over the top or inside to give them some moisture.

These southwestern egg rolls were a big hit. My husband and I loved them! I think you will too!!!