Black Bean & Corn Baked Egg Rolls

These are so yummy. I have made something similar before: Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls with Cilantro Cream Sauce. Those are made with tortillas and chicken (the sauce is amazing), but these are made with actual egg roll wrappers and no meat. Both are delicious. I love how crispy the egg roll wrappers get.

1 can corn (15 oz)
1 can black beans (15 oz, drained/rinsed)
1 1/2 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 can diced green chiles (drained, 4 oz)
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pkg egg roll wrappers (about 20)

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.

Original recipe found here.

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

YUM! Delicious. Like I've mentioned before... I am obsessed with sweet potatoes right now.

1-1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
2 medium to large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp melted light butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut into 1 & ½ inch thick slices. Boil water in a 3 quart sauce pan with a tsp salt. When the water is simmering, add the potato slices and cook for around 10 minutes, until the slices are getting a little soft.

Oil a large baking sheet and mix together all of the dry spices in a small bowl.

Remove the slices to a cooling rack. You can leave them on the rack until they cool off and the outsides are dry, or if you are in a hurry, blot all of the moisture from the surface of the slices. This is important – they have to be dry on the outside or they won’t get crispy.

Start the oven preheating to 400º Lay the slices of sweet potato on the prepared pan, and use a water glass to gently compress each slice – you want them to flatten out and the edges should get kind of ruffly. Mix the butter and oil together. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of the oil and butter mixture on each slice. Sprinkle some of the spice mixture over each slice, and press onto the surface lightly so that it sticks to the potato slices. Gently turn oven each slice, and repeat the oil/butter and dry spice application as you did on the first side.

Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the bottom of the slices is getting caramelized and crispy. Carefully flip over each slice and roast another 10 minutes or so, until both sides are crispy and the spice mixture has melted together and turned all nicely brown. Serve immediately.

Original recipe found here.

Buffalo Cauliflower

I've been looking for other ways to prepare our favorite veggies, since we have been eating so much of them. Will and I agreed this was interesting... and in a GOOD way! It's really easy to do too. If you're a fan of buffalo sauce, buffalo wings, whatever... I'm sure you'll love this! We dipped ours in some lite ranch dressing.

1 head of cauliflower

For the batter
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c water
dash of Frank's Wing Sauce (or Frank's Original Hot Sauce)
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried onion

For the buffalo sauce
1/4 c Frank's Wing Sauce
3 tbsp salted butter, melted
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray (I always use olive oil spray) and set aside. Wash your head of cauliflower and cut into pieces. I made a variety of sizes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the batter ingredients. Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter until fully and evenly coated. Place onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 15 minutes until the batter just hardens.

In a small bowl, mix together the buffalo sauce ingredients. Once the cauliflower are done, remove from the oven and brush with the buffalo sauce. Again, fully and evenly coat each piece.

Put back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes (I think 5-7 minutes was my range), until  the sauce has mostly dried and the cauliflower is crispy. Remove from the oven, let cool, then enjoy! 

Original recipe found here.

Eggplant Lasagna

This was seriously good and Will thought it tasted like Eggplant Parmesan. The top gets nice and crispy, even though the eggplant aren't pan-fried at all. YUM! I cut the original recipe in half and just made half, which is what I posted below.

1 large eggplant, sliced thinly & peeled (I sliced mine into circles instead of lengthwise)
1 c marinara sauce
3/4 c low-fat ricotta
3/4 c shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 c shredded Parmesan
1 c Panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8x8" baking dish and lay out one layer of eggplant in the bottom of dish. Mix ricotta & mozzarella together. Layer half of mixture on top of eggplant. Cover with marinara sauce, and top with some Parmesan. Repeat: eggplant, ricotta/mozz mixture, sauce, Parmesan. Then I did one more layer of eggplant, a little bit more sauce, Parmesan cheese, and then the Panko. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is nice and brown. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Easy Cheesy Zucchini & Squash Bake

Simple. Easy. Delicious!!

2 medium-sized zucchini, cut in slices or half-moon slices
2 medium-sized yellow squash, cut in slices or half-moon slices
2-4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp thinly sliced green onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup + 1/2 cup low-fat white cheese (I used lowfat mozzarella)
1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray an 8" x 8" baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. Combine the sliced squash, chopped basil, sliced green onions, dried thyme, garlic powder, and both kinds of cheese and stir together until the veggies are coated with cheese and the herbs are well-distributed. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes.

When the zucchini is nearly cooked through, take the casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Put the dish back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted and nicely browned and zucchini is fully cooked.  Serve hot.

Original recipe found here.