Southwest Egg Rolls with Cilantro Cream Sauce

 Back in the day when I didn't care about the difference between fried and baked food, I LOVED Chili's Southwestern egg rolls.  I mean, they were little bites of heaven to me.  Then I found our the difference between fried and baked and that ruined them for me forever.  I can't stomach fried foods, quite literally.   Don't agree with me.
So, I was one happy girl when I saw this baked version on pinterest.  And my, oh my, these egg rolls were delicious.  They were very popular in a sea of other foods I made for a party.  Delicious other foods.  Would be an awesome superbowl food and I could just eat them for dinner.  Love them with the cilantro dipping sauce.

SOUTHWESTERN EGG ROLLS

Yield: 10-12 Egg Rolls

adapted  from: mrshappyhomemaker

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts – diced
• 1 medium-large onion, minced
• 1/2 red or orange pepper, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn (I used roasted frozen)
• 1 (14.5oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 2.5 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 jalapenos, seeded & minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese(I used cheddar)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 10 taco sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. Add in the chicken, season with salt & pepper to taste, & saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the diced onions and peppers & cook until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the spices, jalapeno, black beans, corn, & baby spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cheese.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into the center of each taco sized flour tortilla, and roll up like a burrito, folding in the top and bottom, then rolling tightly. Brush each side with a good coating of oil, and place in a baking dish. Bake for 25-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy.

Serve with Cilantro Cream Sauce, if desired.

NOTE: Next time I would cook these at a higher temp to get them crispier.  Also, even with brushing them with oil, they take a long time to crisp up.

CILANTRO CREAM SAUCE

Yield: About 2 cups

mrshappyhomemaker

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 (7oz) can tomatillo sauce or salsa (same thing, different companies label them different)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2-4 jalapenos, seeded (or leave the seeds in for extra heat)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• the juice of half a lime

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a jar with a tight fitting seal, and refrigerate for up to 1-2 weeks.