Thursday, April 14, 2011

Southwest Eggrolls

Live Richly Southwest Eggrolls
I've said before that Kraft keeps us Real Women of Philadelphia pretty busy, but if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have realized half of my creativity in the kitchen!  On Monday they threw an "Open Door Challenge" at us, using three key ingredients:  Beans, Olives and a Protein of our choosing.  I immediately went south of the border with this one.

Cheesecake Factory's
Avocado Eggrolls
I LOVE The Cheesecake Factory's Avocado Eggrolls, so I wanted to try to create something similar, but a little healthier (baked instead of fried) and with some slow-cooked chicken.  I started with my usual "Machaca Chicken" recipe, added the olives and black beans, then added some corn and just a little more spice.

Then I rolled them up in some phyllo dough.  Now...be careful with this stuff, it can be VERY difficult to work with if you don't do it right.  Make sure to keep it moist and soft, and make sure to use 5-6 sheets at a time.  Otherwise it will crack if its dry, or just fall apart if you're not using enough sheets.

Once I figured out what I was doing with the dough (with a little help from Mom...thanks mommy), I got about 8 good eggrolls out of this recipe.  There was a lot of meat left, so my mom wrapped them up in some whole wheat tortillas, coated them in cheese and red enchilada sauce and came up with a whole different version! 

These were fun to make and delicious too!  I'm planning on using phyllo dough from now on to make my chimichangas...those are my Mexican food downfall, but I'm always reluctant to eat a deep fried burrito.  Now I can make a healthier baked version at home and not sacrifice the flavor!
Prep Time:  30 minutes / Cook Time:  4 1/2 Hours / Servings: 8

Ingredients:
  • 4 large chicken breasts
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. of chili powder
  • 1 tbsp. of ground cumin
  • 2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. of garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper
  • 2 medium Avocados, sliced
  • 1 box, phyllo dough
  • 1 2.25 oz. can of sliced black olives, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup(s) of frozen corn, thawed and drained
  • 5 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Santa Fe Blend
  • 1/4 tsp. of Chipotle Chile Powder
  • 1 medium lime, juiced
  • 1/4 cup(s) of olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. of finely chopped fresh cilantro
Steps
  1. Combine chicken, green bell pepper, tomato, chili powder, ground cumin, chicken broth, red onion, garlic powder, cayenne pepper in a crock pot. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook on high for about 3 hours. Shred the chicken with a fork, add black beans, olives and corn. Stir all ingredients well, cover and cook for one more hour.
  2. Remove the chicken from the crock pot and put in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Separate 5-6 sheets of phyllo dough and spray with cooking spray. Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into the center of the dough and shape into an oblong oval. Place several strips of avocado on top of the chicken mixture and fold the dough around the mixture, tucking the sides in as you roll (forming the eggroll).
  4. Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used. Brush the eggrolls and a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place the eggrolls on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the phyllo dough is crispy and golden brown.
  5. DIPPING SAUCE: Place Cooking Creme, chipotle powder, lime juice and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Stir until combined and serve with the eggrolls.

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