Wonton Wrappers: Southwestern Eggrolls (Chili's Copy Cat)

Sorry I completely forgot to introduce my pick!! While we were watching the many cooking shows we do I saw one of the ingredients used was wonton wrappers. I thought we should give it a go! So here we are!!

Our family loves Chili's. And I especially love their appetizers. I wanted to try out their Southwestern Eggrolls so that was why I chose wonton wrappers! Ok, finding wonton wrappers was extremely difficult for me. I looked at 3 stores and finally found them in the first store when I went back. At my grocery store they were in the refrigerated section where the mushrooms and herbs are. Good luck finding them in your store!

Ingredients:
1 Package wonton wrappers (80 ct)
Vegetable oil

Filling:
1 Red bell pepper diced
1 medium Onion diced
1 bunch Spinach chopped
1/2 can Corn
1 can Black beans rinsed and drained
1 large Jalapeno diced
1/2 c Cheese of your liking
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Parsley (fresh or dried is fine)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

Chop, dice, grate, drain all the ingredients as needed.  I used half mozzarella and half cheddar for the recipe. Monterrey Jack is also a good one to use since it has some kick. And I took out most of the jalapeno's seeds. Again, I'm a spice wimp. Now's also a good time to heat up your oil in a large skillet or deep fryer. Put enough oil in to fill the bottom of the skillet completely. Turn on medium high heat.

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl adding spices last. Mix with a large spoon.  Lay out a few wonton wrappers. Fill each wrapper with a spoonful of filling. Don't overfill! With water, use your finger to dampen the edges of the wonton wrapper. Seal by folding in half and pressing the edges firmly. Place into the oil carefully away from you to prevent splashing back onto you. DO NOT place into oil that hasn't been heated long enough. I turned on the heat then made 8 eggrolls before putting them into the oil. If the oil isn't heated this will make everything really soggy and gross since the wrapper will absorb too much oil. Fry until golden brown (about 1-3 min), flip and repeat. After both sides are golden brown, remove from oil and let cool slightly on a paper towel.

I served our eggrolls with the Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch! So yummy!! Could even use a little more cheese if you're a cheesy fan.

**I halved the recipe (left the spices and beans at the same amount) and still made a ton! So caution in portion control!!

Wonton Wrappers: Giant Ravioli!

One of my favorite cooking tips from How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart comes from the weeknight Italian section. She suggests using wonton wrappers to make freeform lasagna and giant ravioli! While it's a little labor intensive, it's worth it!

My filling this time was spinach and ricotta, but I've done all cheese and wild mushroom as well. I kind of winged it (and it was kind of four months ago) (holy cow), so I don't really have a recipe, but once you make your filling, you plop about a tablespoon onto the middle of one wonton wrapper. Dip a finger into a bowl of water (my kids loved helping with this part!) and wet the sides of the wonton wrapper. Place another wonton wrapper on top, pushing out extra air and sealing the edges of the wonton wrappers together. Boil in a shallow pan of water for 3-5 minutes.

Pam Anderson suggests serving them topped with a little bit of the starchy pasta water, olive oil, Parmesan and pepper, which is a tasty sauce; my husband tends to prefer marinara. Both are good!

I have to add a suggestion: if you make a huge batch like I did, don't stack them into multiple layers. Even with oil between the layers, they'll get stuck. But hey, then it's basically lasagna, right?