Southwestern Eggrolls

Food Category: PG
Difficulty: Easy

I began with the intention of following the Chili's Southwestern Eggroll recipe, and for the most part I did. Except for I cooked on a much larger scale & didn't pay too much attention to proportions - not that it really matters the ratio of corn to onions, know what I mean?

Here's roughly what I used:

• 2 cups of cooked chicken (I used Mimi's Sticky Chicken from last night)
• 1 chopped onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 of each: red, green & yellow bell pepper
• 1 can vacuumed-packed corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1/3 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach
• 1/2 crushed tomatoes (b/c I had some in the fridge)
• several splashes of Taco Sauce (again, in the fridge)
• 8 oz (weight) grated cheddar cheese
• 8 burrito size spiced tomato tortillas
• 8 taco/fajita size spinach tortillas

To make the Eggroll Filling:

• Sautee bell peppers in 2 T olive oil for 3-4 minutes
• Add onion & continue to sautee for 3-4 minutes
• Add 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• Add the spinach & cooked until heated through
• Next, toss in the beans, corn, chicken & jalapenos
• And, 1/2 t each, more if you choose: chili powder, cumin, paprika, smoky sweet chili blend, cayenne & salt
• Remove from heat & add cheese
• Stir until cheese melts & mixes in

To assemble the Eggrolls:

• Microwave the tortillas in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for 45-60 seconds on high
• Spread 1/4-1/3 cup of filling on one side of the tortilla
• Roll "eggroll style" turning the sides in as you go
• You can "seal" with a bit to cream cheese

To cook the Eggrolls:

• I sprayed the Eggrolls with olive oil, placed seam side down on a baking pan &
• Baked at 425 until crispy & golden, turning once 1/2 way through (about 15 minutes)
• (The original recipe calls for the Eggrolls to be frozen & then deep fried)

To serve the Eggrolls:

• Cut in 1/2 crosswise & serve with a dipping sauce.

I really, really wanted & tried to make the avocado dipping sauce BUT avocados in Europe are terrible & it was a waste of my time & energy & ingredients. I had to resort to serving with Ranch dip. Next time, in the absence of decent avocados, I'll make Haus Salsa.

If I had good access to fresh jalepeno & poblano peppers, I would have added some. Maybe next time I'll throw in a chopped chipotle or two.

Personally, I don't think these have to be deep fried. It's more mess to clean up, more calories to burn off & it's not necessary for flavor. If you spray & bake, these are actually kind of healthy.

Leftover Potential: These were a huge hit & there were none leftover. If you did have leftovers, you can reheat in the oven or freeze for later. If you anticipate leftovers, I'd freeze before cooking.

Pizza Dip

Food Category: PG-13 with Food Porn tendencies

Difficulty: Easy

My pizza dip is a slightly pimped out version of the Pampered Chef recipe that was super-popular back in the mid-late 90's. It's a great potluck, party & snack dish. I make my dip in a 9X13 stoneware dish because it will stay hot for quite a while out of the oven.

Pizza Dip

Soften one package of cream cheese (full fat or not) in the microwave on the lowest setting. You want a consistency that is easy to stir & spread.

To the cream cheese add:

• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (either powders or shredded)
• 2 large crushed cloves of garlic

Mix well and spread into the bottom of a baking dish.

Pour one large can (26 oz) of spaghetti sauce on top of the cream cheese.

Sprinkle the sauce with precooked & well drained Italian sausage (2-3 links, casing removed).

Top with 2-4 cups of mozzarella cheese & a sprinkling of more Parmesan.

Top the cheese with other favorite toppings. I used sauteed onions & tri-color peppers. Mushrooms & black olives would have been great, too. I left the onions & peppers off the kid-friendly side.

Bake in a 400F until heated through & the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Serve with crusty French bread, either toasted or not. And, a salad.

Leftover potential: I don't know from experience, but I think this would keep well in the fridge for a few days. Reheat in either the microwave or oven.

Leftovers

For dinner we had leftover chili, grilled cheese sandwiches & raw veggies with Ranch dip. While I didn't actually "cook" dinner, I did make muffins before I went to "work" this morning. Yes, I do have a food porn banana bread recipe, made with a cup of butter, white flour & lots of sugar. I'll save that one for Not Just Strudel. This particular muffin recipe is definitely the healthier, lower fat version.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Sift together & set aside:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg

In a separate bowl, cream together with an electric mixer:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup pack Splenda Blend - brown sugar

Then:

• Add 2 eggs & beat until smooth
• Mix in 4 über-ripe bananas (I leave mine a little on the chunky side)
• Stir in 1/2 cup applesauce

Gentle stir dry & moist ingredients together just enough to incorporate the flour mixture.

Fill lined muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes (or until passes the Toothpick Test). Makes 16 muffins.

Wine & Cheese or Tuna Sandwiches

Food Category: Bum Lovin', PG-13 (because of the rotwein)
Difficulty: SuperEasy

This is HausFrau's favorite go-to meal for no fuss, no mess.

Whole grains, calcium, good fat, heart healthy red wine . . . eat & repeat.

Others in my family had tuna sandwiches with leftovers from lunch. I make my tuna with:

• Solid white albacore or chunk light Starkist (the big can)
• chopped celery ribs with leaves
• finely chopped red onion
• 2 chopped boiled eggs
• chopped Kosher dill pickles
• 1/2 chopped red apple
• Miracle Whip -- the bare minimum needed to hold it all together
• pepper, lemon herbed seasoning, fresh parsley

Served preferrably on whole wheat. Certain family members prefer worthless white (Man, Laze-E).

Salsa, Guacamole & Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips

Food Category: PG
Difficulty: Easy

It was snack night at our Haus. Friends were visiting from Hohenfels (Hi, CoopaChick, E-Girl & J-Boy) & this kept the teens happy. Winkler Kupfer Spezial straight from the source in Lengenfeld, Bavaira, kept the adults happy.

Tortilla Chips served with:

Bean dip topped with melted cheese: leftover pinto beans, seasoned with chili powder & cumin, food processed, heated in the microwave, melted cheddar & gouda on top.

Haus Salsa

Guacamole, made with: 2 large avocados, 1 T lime juice, 2 T chopped red onion, 1/4 c cilantro leaves, small clove of minced garlic. Chopped fresh jalepeno peppers optional.

Garnished with sour cream & pickled jalepeno peppers.

Nachos

Food Category: G-Rated, with Food Porn tendencies
Difficulty: a monkey could make this

We used blue corn tortilla chips because they look like bat wings - also the dark purple of the chips & the orange of the cheese look like Halloween on a plate. We topped the chips with cheddar & Monterrey Jack. Melted the cheese on lowest power in the microwave. Served with Haus Salsa & jalepeños.

And, yes, the Kinder talked me into making more salsa. Now I have enough for taco salads on Wednesday night. Whoo Hoo!

Asian Salad

Food Category: PG, Bum Lovin', High-5
Difficulty: Easy

Here's my first official repeat with Asian Salad with Tuna

This time the salads were made with:

• red tipped lettuce
• Napa cabbage
• sugar snap peas
• shredded carrots
• chopped red onion
• sliced cucumbers
• pineapple chunks
• Sweet & Spicy Starkist Tuna
• rice noodles
• a drizzle of teriyaki garlic sauce
• Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing

And, we had smoothies for dessert:

• frozen chunks of bananas & pineapple
• frozen whole strawberries
• mixed with just enough orange juice & skim milk to blend

I made Chex Party Mix in the crockpot yesterday & it turned out great - so great that it's all gone today. There are lots of great recipes at the Chex Website if you need inspiration.

For this mix, I used wheat, rice & corn Chex, oyster crackers and broken stick pretzels, packet of Ranch seasoning mix, several generous shakes of parmesean cheese, a bit of seasoning salt & just enough butter & olive oil to coat the mix, probably about 1/4 cup total.


Melt the butter in the microwave, mix in the oil & seasoning, then pour over the cereal mix (already in the crockpot). Stir to evenly distribute the butter & cook on high for 15-20 minutes or until the cereal starts to warm up. Switch to low for about 2 hours, keep uncovered. Stir occasionally & sample often.

Have the kids make some for your next get-together. It's really, really good served warm right out of the crockpot.