Baked Southwest Egg Rolls with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

In an effort to entice my children to at least try this new dinner last night I started joking with them that this was a meal that could have many names.  Since I didn't think "Southwest Egg Rolls" would do much for them other than inducing turned up noses, I told them that these were "Baby Burritos".  After that my daughter came up with the name "Fat Taquitos" and we also added "Rainbow Rolls" to the list (because of the many colors of veggies inside).  Our renaming game worked too!  My children went from complaining about eating these to actually trying them and (gasp!) liking them!  One of my daughters actually took two in her lunch box today!  In my book that is definitely a victory.

Besides their yummy taste and my children's thumbs up, I love that this recipe is healthy (baked not fried), packed with veggies and a terrific make-ahead meal (I made mine during my son's naptime and just pulled them out to bake for dinner).  I also love that it made enough that I could serve 12 for dinner and freeze 12 for a quick lunch or dinner another time, another major victory!

To simplify this recipe further I used some cooked and pre-measured (2 c.) shredded chicken I had previously frozen.  After defrosting, Ijust added it in with the remainder of the ingredients after the red pepper had sauteed a couple of minutes.

*from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

Makes about 2 dozen

Rolls:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow or red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 (about 1 1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 green or red pepper, diced small
1 jalapeno pepper, membranes removed, seeded and finely minced or 4 pickled jalapeno rounds from the jar
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and liquid squeezed out
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cheese, such as Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or Cheddar
2 dozen small, fajita-size flour tortillas

Chipotle Dipping Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa
1 teaspoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (if you are opening a new can to only use 1 teaspoon, freeze the remainder in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and pull out and thaw as needed)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the dipping sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside or refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the cubed chicken breasts and peppers and cook over medium or medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the rinsed and drained black beans, spinach, corn, cilantro and seasonings. Mix well and cook until the mixture is heated through. Add the cheese and stir well, cooking, until the mixture is hot and cheese is mostly melted.

Warm the tortillas. I place 5-6 between two damp paper towels and microwave for about 45 seconds. Place some of the filling (approx. 1/4 c.) on each tortilla and roll up tightly, egg-roll style, folding in the edges. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheets .

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until the rolls are lightly browned and heated through. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.