Family Recipe - Southwest Eggrolls

I love food! So much so, no party, gathering, good conversation or especially family get-together is right without a scrumptious spread. Many friendships have been sealed over a delicious plate of food. If my girlfriend digs in with fervor I know we were meant to be - no picky, light eaters for me!

That being said, it took me a long time to learn how to cook and even longer to learn to like it. I credit first and foremost Aunt Vickey, without her taking me under her wing, I would not have learned to make so many of my comfort food staples or even how to boil water - I am being serious! I really, truly had never been shown how and never thought to look it up (we were so poor we had no money for internet 8 years ago!)

 She logged many hours talking me through simple steps over the phone when I panicked at my lack of cooking know-how. She took me from being a microwave die-hard to being a wife who could throw together an amazing meatloaf, lasagna and even amish macaroni salad (a family favorite). I spent years happily making meals filled with yummy traditional goodness never dreaming to stray from my comfort food comfort zone. 

My next food renaissance came when my dad remarried and brought into our lives my amazing stepmom Debbie and sister Mandy, two true foodies. Never had I seen two people with more passion and to me, bravery, with cooking and (gasp!) they even came up with their own recipes. They have shown me how to cook and love so many foods I had never thought to embrace. Before them, I thought sweet potatoes were only eaten with marshmallows at Thanksgiving, eggplant was just a curious purple veggie and any kind of burger not made with beef was flavorless and not to be trusted. Oh, and wasabi was only eaten as a dare!

These days I will eat anything they put in front of me and badger them to death to come up with new recipes of tastes that strike my fancy. 

Now for the shocker. 

Amazingly these two women have both developed food allergies to wheat and dairy in the last few years. Instead of feeling defeated, their passion for cooking has only been fueled by the lack of food options offered to people with allergies. Many of the recipes we will feature in the coming months are allergy friendly dishes complete with symbols indicating if the recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian or vegan. We hope those who also deal with allergies will find that they can still eat amazing food. 

First up, a recent addition to our Baker-Moutoux family favorites, Mandy's Southwest Eggrolls. Dig in!

Mandy's Southwest Eggrolls

Servings: 6 

Prep Time: 30 min prep, 1 hr to freeze

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

3 green onions1/2 red pepper 

1 chipotle pepper (from can)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/3 C canned corn

1/3 C canned black beans

1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6 flour tortillas (6 inch)

6 C vegetable oil for frying + 3 TB for sauteing
12 toothpicks 

Directions

Place the chicken breast in a pot of water until submerged. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink. 

While chicken is boiling; dice the green onions, red pepper and chipotle. 

Add 3 TB of oil to skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers. Sautee 6-7 minutes until soft. Stir in cumin and chili powder. 

When chicken is thoroughly cooked, take it out of the water and shred. You may need to use a fork and knife to prorperly shred the meat. Once shredded, add the chicken to the skillet of onions and peppers. Stir well. 

Add corn and black beans and stir well. 

Turn off heat to skillet and add cheese. 

Once your vegetables, cheese and chicken have all been mixed, lay out a tortilla. 

Using a regular spoon, add 1-2 spoonfuls of mixture in the center of the tortilla. Fold over two sides of the tortilla, then roll it up to make a burrito, keeping it tight. Place 2 toothpicks into each side of the roll so that it does not come open. Place in a parchment lined baking dish. 
Repeat process for all 6 tortillas. 
Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least one hour, or until you are ready to use them. (This is the secret to frying filled food - freezing allows everything to cook at the same rate!)
When you are ready to fry, pour 6 C of oil into a large pot. Heat at just below HIGH. 
You will know your oil is hot enough when you see bubbles rapidly rising up around a wooden spoon touching the bottom of the pan.
Carefully place 2-3 rolls into the oil. Using a pair of tongs, turn the rolls as they cook. Watch for them to turn a golden brown after 2-4 minutes. Use the tongs to remove the rolls and place them on a paper towel lined plate. 
To get the same look as our rolls, "saw" them in half while cutting diagonally. This will prevent them from getting smashed. 
Serve your Southwest Eggrolls with Spicy Ranch dressing or chipotle sour cream for an extra kick. 

*we like to make a triple batch of eggrolls and freeze them for future meals and last minute party prep. The eggrolls will stay good in the freezer for a couple of weeks.