Southwest Egg Rolls for tailgating

We're back to football season and this month, we're going to highlight a series of foods perfect for a tailgating session or a Sunday afternoon in front of the NFL Sunday Ticket. 

No salads here.  It's going to be snack food, spicy stuff and hearty meals that are going to sit in your stomach well into overtime.

You know that I love food, but I am in no way a food snob.  I can fully appreciate a specially grilled lamb shank with some overly embellished aoli sauce.  But there's always a place for a crispy fried chicken sandwich drenched in hot wing sauce.  Nothing wrong with going to almost any restaurant out there if you enjoy it.  Sometimes you just feel like going to Chili's or Training Table or even IHOP for some waffles on a Saturday morning.

Along that line, I've eaten at Chili's a couple of times and we've sampled a few of their appetizers.  I really like the Southwest Egg Rolls.  Now they aren't really egg rolls at all.  They're more miniature chimichangas.  They're smaller tortillas filled with chicken,  cheese, beans, corn, and other veggies and deep-fried, so they still fall into Jim Gaffigan's "A tortilla with meat, cheese, and vegetables" mexican food rule.  Pair them with a bowl of salsa and they are the perfect snack food. 

You'll need to prep them a little bit ahead of the party so you can freeze them first.  The frying works better if you freeze them after assembly.  But when you're ready, plop them in the fryer for 5 minutes a piece and they're ready to eat.

Southwest Egg Rolls
Makes 10 egg rolls

2 chicken breasts
1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onion
2/3 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 cup frozen spinach
1/4 cup canned diced jalapeno
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon mexican hot sauce (Tabasco, Cholulu or Tapatio)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mexican blend or monterey jack cheese
12 7-8 inch tortillas

Cook the chicken breast and either chop the breasts into small cubes or shred them with a fork.  In a large skillet or high sided saute pan, saute the red pepper and onion for about 3-4 minutes.  Add the corn, beans and spinach, mixing together until the spinach is warn and thoroughly mixed in, about 4 minutes.  Add the jalapeno, cilantro, spices and the chicken and stir for another three minutes so everything is thoroughly combined and warmed.  Add the cheese and continue to stir until all of the cheese has melted.  Remove from heat. 

Scoop out a couple heaping spoonfuls of the mixture into the center of one tortilla.  Fold in the sides, then roll up the tortilla and sew closed with a toothpick or a spaghetti noodle.  Repeat until the filling is exhausted.  Place in the freezer for at least 1 1/2 hours.  Remove the the freezer and fry in a saucepan of 350 degree oil for 5 minutes.  Place them on a cooling rack for a few minutes, then serve with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream.

So make a few tonight, sit in front of the tube and eat the entire plate by the end of the first game of the day.