Southwestern Egg Rolls

I found the yummiest recipe for Southwestern Egg Rolls on my friend Kelli and her sisters' blog called Hold The Onions. You can see a picture on their website. I made them for dinner last night and they were so delish. Try them! They are just a tad bit spicy, but oh so good. They remind me a lot of the Southwestern Egg Rolls from Chili's. We had them as our main dish, but they would be great as little appetizers or side dishes if you were hosting a southwestern/Mexican dinner. Next time I think I'll serve them with dipping sauces like guacamole ranch or just salsa and sour cream. Mmmm. I can't wait until I make them again!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

Ingredients

* 2 Tbs vegetable oil
* 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half
* 2 Tbs minced green onion
* 2 Tbs minced red bell pepper
* 1/3 c frozen corn kernels (I probably used more like 1/2-3/4 cup. We like corn!)
* 1/4 c black beans, rinsed and drained (Again, I used more like 1/2-3/4 cup)
* 2 Tbs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I also tossed in a little extra spinach)
* 2 Tbs diced jalapeno peppers
* 1/2 Tbs minced fresh parsley
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* 1/3 tsp salt
* 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
* 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I didn't have Monterey Jack so I used mozzarella)
* 5 (6 inch) flour tortillas
* 1 quart oil for deep frying (I didn't deep fry- I did the baking option)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side in 1 Tbs vegetable oil, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
4. Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute or until hot and pliable.
5. Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with wet toothpicks. Arrange in medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours. *I didn't freeze mine because we were eating them right then. I put them on a cookie sheet and baked them.
6. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas for 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving. (Instead of deep frying, you can bake them in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.)