Avocado Egg Rolls

I am reposting this recipe with a variation I did tonight as well as some photos. I am also including some photos of how to wrap an egg roll.

The variations I made were simple. I left the dipping sauce exactly as is. It is wonderful and tasty! What I changed was the stuff inside the rolls. I left out the dried tomatoes and put in fresh Roma tomatoes, I added crispy cooked bacon to the avocado and I left out the cilantro (but that was by mistake!). It was very tasty to say the least and it added some protein. I made fried rice to go with it. Scroll to the bottom to see the pics.

The recipe below was given to me by a friend who wanted these for her birthday one year. I made them and fell in love with them immediately. She says that they are a good knock-off from the Cheesecake Factory avocado egg rolls. I can not personally attest to that since I have never had anything from a Cheesecake Factory (Hey, I live in a po-dunk town in TN! ) Tamarind was the hardest ingredient for me to find. I did find it at a little Indian Food Store here in town. I don’t know if the sauce can do without it or not… but if you can’t find the tamarind maybe try some pureed prune in its stead.

Avocado Egg Rolls
Prep. Time: 0:30
Serves: 2-4

1 T. white vinegar
1 t.. balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. tamarind pulp
1/2 cup honey
1 pinch ground saffron (best saffron I ever found was at the same Indian Food Store!)
1/2 cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 T. granulated sugar
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lrg. avocado – peeled, pitted, diced
2 T. sun-dried tomatoes in oil – chopped
1 T. minced red onion
1/2 t. chopped fresh cilantro
1 pinch salt
egg roll wrappers
1 egg – beaten

In small saucepan, over medium heat, stir together first 5 ingredients. Heat until tamarind is fully dissolved and mixture is well blended. Do not boil or over cook and stir constantly

Puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin in a blender or food processor.

Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil; refrigerate until ready to use (this can be made a day or two ahead of time… actually making it at least a day in advance gives the flavors time to blend and it has a better flavor.)

Gently fold together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 tsp. cilantro, and salt until well coated and blended.

Distribute filling evenly onto center of egg roll wrappers — should make around 4 or more depending on how full you make them.

Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling; brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg; roll up from side to side; fold top corner over all and press to seal; repeat with remaining wrappers.

Deep-fry egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

Drain on brown paper bags.

Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and serve with prepared dipping sauce.

Savory French Onion Soup

This is a very tasty and easy recipe. It would be a very nice appetizer soup for company too. I substituted the cheese in the recipe with an asiago, parmesan, mozzarella blend. I only substituted because I could not find a good French cheese at my local grocer. If you can use the Gruyère or the Swiss, I highly recommend it. They are less rubbery and stringy when they melt, making for a nicer presentation — it still tasted wonderful though! I posted some additional pictures of the cooking process down below. Bon Appetite!

What you’ll need:

6 medium onions thinly sliced
2 T. Olive Oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp. savory
1 tsp. thyme
salt
pepper
1/2 C. white wine
3 C. Beef consommé
1 sm. baguette
2 C. shredded Gruyère (may be substituted with equal amount Swiss cheese or provolone.)

What you’ll do:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, thyme, savory, and salt and pepper (to taste). Cook in olive oil over medium heat until onions are nice and golden. Stir regularly to avoid burning. Stir in wine and broth after onions are cooked. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer like this for 20 minutes.

Set out 4-6 oven proof bowls (depending on size). Take one half of the bread crumbs and divide them evenly in the bottom of the bowls, follow likewise with the cheese. Add soup, leaving just a little room at the top for additional bread and cheese. After bowls are filled with soup, evenly distribute the rest of the bread and the cheese on top. Place bowls on a cooking sheet with sides, and place in the oven on a middle rack. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Sally Lunn Bread

I can not remember where I found this recipe originally. When Nate was in 8th grade he needed to make and bring something to school for a party. The theme was “Southern foods.” The kids had to write up a little of what they learned about the recipe they made. So, we made Sally Lunn Bread. I do not remember the story behind it either, but I do remember that it is originally a British recipe that was popular in the Colonies. It is delicious. I have made it a few times, and it never disappoints!

Sally Lunn Bread

2 (1/4 oz) envelopes yeast
½ C. warm water
1 ½ C. milk
¾ C. sugar

Combine yeast and water in large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Heat milk, sugar, butter and salt until butter melts. Let milk mixture cool to 100 –110 degrees.
Pour cooled milk into mixture, add eggs and stir until well mixed.
Stir in flour until well mixed. Dough will appear lumpy and soft.
Cover dough and let rise in draft free area for one hour.
Stir dough down and recover. Let it rise for 30 more minutes. Stir dough down again and spoon into a well-greased bundt pan.
Let dough rise for an additional 30 minutes in pan.
Bake bread at 350 degrees for 35 –40 minutes.
Serve with Jam Butter.

Jam Butter: 2 sticks of butter softened to room temperature; 2 T. sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ C. jam or preserves (black raspberry is AWESOME!). Beat all ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth and well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Black Bean Hummus

I usually serve this with the Queenie’s Goop recipe (it came from the same friend). It is very delicious and wonderfully cool to eat in the summer.

Black Bean Hummus
1 clove of garlic
1 15 oz can of black beans (drain and reserve liquid)
2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 T tahini
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayene pepper (optional)
10 chopped scallions

Mince garlic and add beans and 2 T. reserved liquid in a blender or food processor. Add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth. Excellent with corn chips or on pita bread.

**Variation: 1/3 C. tahini, 1/4 C. lime juice, and scallions