As you may have noticed, I do a lot of cooking. 

I like to step outside of my culinary comfort zone now and then, but I put a lot of effort into keeping our meals what I refer to as “mostly healthy.”  Therefore, we eat a lot of veggies and chicken.  I’ll admit, it can get boring, so I’m always looking for ways to spice it up.  There’s nothing I love more than taking a typically figure unfriendly meal and lightening it up.  I love when I am able to lose calories without sacrificing flavor.

Even better when Lloyd doesn’t notice the difference. 

You may recognize these eggrolls from the Chilis menu.  Now you can enjoy them, guilt-free! 

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

Makes 24 egg rolls

Print this recipe!

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 cups canned corn
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)
• salsa
• guacamole

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend.
3. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place 1/4 cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward (to the sides) and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking.
5. Serve warm with salsa and guacamole.

Southwestern cuisine is similar to Mexican, and is known for its use of spices and beans.  Paired with the egg rolls, this is fusion at its finest.  A variety of traditional Southwestern-style ingredients and chicken are wrapped inside Chinese egg rolls and then baked, packing lots of flavor, with less fat!   Creative and delicious, these rolls are loaded with nutritious veggies and lots of protein from the chicken, cheese and beans.  The are as versatile as you want them to be: add red pepper if you like it hot, or leave out the chicken if you prefer a vegetarian meal.  The savory, slightly spicy fillings were totally satisfying… especially when the crispy baked rolls were dipped in the creamy guacamole. 

This dish was as fun to eat as it was to make!  For ease, I used rotisserie chicken.  Most of the ingredients were canned, which also saves time.  We ate these as a meal, but they would make a great appetizer.  However you eat the, your taste buds will dance.  Ole!