Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Recipe Review: Southwest Eggrolls and Oreo Cheesecake

BAKED SOUTHWEST EGGROLLS (from Annie's Eats blog)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used "mexican style beans" and I think they were pinto, flavored)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used canned corn, flavored with chili powder and season-all, and only in half of the eggrolls as Jeff isn't a big fan of corn)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (white cheddar for me)
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chile's, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)



Directions:

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ 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 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.
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. 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. Serve warm with salsa (recipe below).

Yes.Please. These were SO GOOD! Four thumbs up for sure! And the are as easy as combine, mix, roll and bake. Awesome!





SALSA DELISH

(variation of salsa from this blog http://annies-eats.com/2009/01/25/my-favorite-salsa-ever/)

Ingredients:

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped (nope!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime




Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

I love this salsa because, A) it's pretty, duh. B) it doesn't have onions! and C) it's truly fresh. It was a little sweeter than I expected and I'm not sure why. Maybe the red wine vinegar. The cilantro is an excellent touch and I would probably add even more next time. This won't last long in our house!

Intermission before dessert...


Clarence was either helping with the laundry or needing to be fluffed :)





...and now for dessert...

OREO CHEESECAKE

Crust
about 25 crushed oreos mixed with 1/2 stick melted butter, pressed into spring form pan

Filling:
2 lbs. cream cheese
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c. chopped Oreos
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 extra lg. eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. vanilla

To make the filling mix the cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla and heavy whipping cream together. Fold the chopped Oreos into the filling. Pour into the crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F. Turn the oven down to 325°F and bake for 50 minutes more. Remove from oven, let cool.

Frosting
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 Tbsp honey

Melt chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Whisk in whipping cream and vanilla and honey. Glaze top and sides of chocolate with frosting mixture. Place in refrigerator at least 4 hours. Serve and enjoy!






I think I might not actually love cheesecake. But as far as cheesecakes go, I'm pretty pleased :) I'll consider it an early birthday cake to myself!

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Um, yes please. On all counts! Looks delicious! And happy early birthday :)

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