Egg Roll Chronicles Part 2

I can't promise, but I'm thinking this should be the last of the egg roll saga for a while. Not that I don't love them; they have been, and still are the closest thing (besides humans) to my heart. But I'm becomming obsessive and just can't stop once again thinking about them. And I need to control this behavior. So let's put my weirdness aside for the moment and concentrate on today's concoction: Asparagus, Cheese, and Salami Egg Rolls with a Taragon Mustard Cream Sauce. Doesn't that sound good? And yes it is. The picture above doesn't have the tarragon in the sauce because by the time I made the final version my camera needed a re-charge. Anyway, here's the recipe. I simply adored it!

Asparagus, Cheese, and Salami Egg Rolls with a Taragon Mustard Cream Sauce
serves two

4 egg roll wrappers
12 pre cooked asparagus spears
3 slices of low fat Swiss cheese sliced into strips- I'm still hooked on Alpine Lace, I think their's is the best
4 rounds of thinly sliced Genoa salami
Dijon mustard- for the wrappers and also the egg wash
1 egg
Water
Store bought Italian bread crumbs
Grated Romano cheese
Canola oil for frying

For the sauce:
this was an eyeball type of thing, no exact measurements, just keep tasting
Dijon mustard
Sour cream- I use the Light
Rice vinegar
Mayo- again I use the Light
Fresh tarragon chopped

I think I've covered all the bases with the ingredients so let's get cooking. I love fresh asparagus and have found that if I cook them covered, in the microwave for 1-1/2 minutes with a bit of sea salt and a tablespoon or two of water they turn out great when I'm going to be cooking them again.

So cook your asparagus and let them cool. On each of 4 egg roll wrappers give a squeeze of Dijon mustard on the lower half (if you don't have the squeeze bottle, use a spoon).

Now layer on a slice of salami, 3 spears of the cooked asparagus and some Swiss cheese.

Roll up egg roll style and make an egg wash combining the egg, mustard and water. Apply the egg wash and roll in the bread crumb/Romano cheese mixture. That would be even parts of the bread and cheese.

Now doesn't that look good already?  Set your rolled egg rolls aside and make the sauce. Combine mustard, sour cream, mayo and vinegar and stir to combine. I added a little water too, to thin it out a bit, but I'm not sure if that's necessary. Add a teaspoon of fresh tarragon (dried would be fine too) and set aside.

In a large saute pan add a thin layer of canola oil and get ready to cook these little darlings on medium heat for about 2 minutes per side (including the shallow sides) just so it's brown all over. Plate and serve. Heaven! Yes, it was heaven. Love the sauce, love the meat, cheese and veggie combo. And you know me, the mustard cream sauce sent me over the top.

Won Ton Wrapped Cheese Logs

About a week ago one of my internet cooking friends posted a link to an ooey, gooey, cheesy recipe from The Chew and I decided I'd give it a try, with a few little personal touches of course. The recipe was simply string cheese rolled in egg roll or won ton wrappers. Sounded very simple and turned out pretty darn good. I was just testing this recipe/method and only made three, figuring that's all I would need to decide if they were worth making again. The result- Yes! they are worth making again, but very filling. I could only eat one which surprised me. Here's what you'll need for assembly:

Won Ton Wrapped Fried Cheese Logs
makes 3 servings

3 won ton/egg roll wrappers about 5 inches square
3 sticks light mozzarala string cheese cut to 4" length
3 slices Genoa salami
Cooking spray
Panko bread crumbs for dusting
Canola oil for frying

Position egg roll wrapper on cutting board so it's diamond shaped with one of the points facing you. Place a slice of salami and pared down cheese log on top.

Roll wrapper around cheese and salami from the bottom, then fold in the sides (kind of like you're making a burrito), wet top edges with a bit of water and seal.

Set aside and continue making your cheese logs. I know that the wrappers dry out pretty quickly so I covered mine with a damp paper towel. Spritz each wrapped log with a bit of cooking spray and roll in Panko crumbs. The Panko didn't stick as well as I would have liked but I didn't want to go through the trouble of making an egg wash- especially since I wasn't even sure this recipe was going to be a keeper.  In large non stick saucepan heat canola oil on medium. I used enough oil for about 1/8" depth in the pan (I think that's what the guy from The Chew said to do).

Fry a few minutes on all 4 sides and serve hot or warm with a dip of your choice. I didn't do that but will next time. Of course a marinara would be a natural, but  I'm also thinking something with mustard, vinegar, mayo and a bit of sour cream would be the perfect little saucy accompaniment. Really, the sauces and the filling possibilities are endless. Manga!

Zucchini Pancakes

I've been making zucchini pancakes forever and have yet to come up with a good enough recipe to share. Well here it is folks, right out of the frozen food aisle of your grocery store. I can sometimes be a food snob, but when I come across a pre-made product that tastes home made and a hundred times better than mine, I'm the first to share. The product is made by Golden and in 15 minutes you can enjoy an all natural, low fat side dish with no preservatives. How easy is that? Here's what to look for.

I baked my pancakes in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, turning them half-way through the cooking process.

And while they were baking I made a yummy dipping/topping sauce: 1/4 cup lite sour cream, 1-1/2 T lite mayo and 2 T horseradish. Ready or not, your pancakes are ready in a flash. Give these a try, you won't be disappointed!

Cinco de Mayo Burgers

There is nothing authentic about my Mexican cheese burger but it sure is a simple recipe and would be great for a crowd if you decide to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and do some grilling. I started with the guacamole. I bought one ripe avocado and a package of Holy Guacamole.

I diced the avocodo into bite sized pieces and squeezed a lime over it. I just love the combo of lime and avocado. Then I added the packaged guac, a sliced scallion and chopped cilantro leaves.

I put this into the fridge for a bit and went on to my hamburger. I only made one hamburger tonight because I was testing this recipe. So I formed a 1/4 pound hamburger and didn't fuss with it much. I sprinkled kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and Mrs Dash's Southwest Chipotle Seasoning on both sides.

While I was enjoying the aroma of the meat cooking on my indoor grill (3-4 minutes per side) I coated 1 side of each of 2 tortillas with sriracha sauce. If you don't have sriracha, use Pete's or Frank's. They'll work fine I'm sure.

 

I then added a slice of processed cheese to each corn tortilla. When I do this again, I'll go for a good Colby or Cheddar or something even more exotic, but the processed cheese was very doable.

Okay, so the burger is done and now needs to be nestled into the cheese covered tortillas. Let's put this together.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a tsp of butter (it really adds some good flavor) and a few tsps of canola oil in a sauce pan. Cook tortillas for a few minutes on both sides until cheese is melted and you can't wait to dig in.

And then top with the guac, and any other condiments you desire. I would have liked some olives and tomatoes, sour cream and maybe a spoonfool of refried beans. I know Dan Clark would probably add some crushed bacon, I would have too. But it's Friday night and shopping day is tomorrow.

It's a little messy so I cut mine in half but did end up eating it with my hands- guac sliding down my arms and beef juice as well. Messy or not it's a great little burger I know you'll love.