Taco Rolls!

When catching up on my favorite blogs, one of my favorite Italian ladies went Mexican and made up some tacos.. tacos and burritos are pretty common in this household but after seeing those pictures, I was crazy-mad craving them.

So the next day I said to myself that this would be a taco night!! And then I realized I had no taco shells. *sigh* No tortillas either. *double sigh* What's a gal to do? Well she spots her package of egg roll wrappers and gets the brilliant idea to do this! Wooo!

And so the birth of the Taco Roll (don't mind my messy stove in the background :P). High in calories and fat! Mouthwater parcels of spicy, cheesy goodness! Easy to dip into salsa and sour cream to up the fat and calorie count! WOOO!! 'kay.. seriously, I'm serious. They were delish. No foolin'.. the eggroll wrapper was crispy and chewy. The filling was hot and melty and spicy and yum. But the fat/calorie levels were off the chart.

So once again, I'm posting a recipe (or idea) that needs some major tweaking to fit the lifestyle that I'd like to achieve one day when I'm not starving after work therefore causing my brain to only think of food in my bell-aye right now! But rather, food in my bell-aye after careful consideration of proper preparation! And so, I give to you my careful thoughts regarding how to make this sinful dinner a lil more heart healthy and nutritious.

Firstly, I'd use ground chicken/turkey instead of the cow I used. I'd use fat free cheese - because fat free cheese is actually pretty tasty when it's melted over something spicy like taco seasoned meat. I wanted to add corn to the filling, like Orchidea did, but we had no damn corn in the house - so next time.. corn. I'd also like to try a veggie version of this, substituing refried beans for the meat (even though I hate refried beans, I'm thinking they'd be tasty in these lil guys). And lastly, but not leastly (hee!) I'd bake these suckers instead of giving them the hot oil treatment.

Another cool variation of these, would be to wrap wonton wrappers over a smaller portion of filling and bake (or deep fry if you live dangerously) for a tasty snacker/appetizer.

I served mine with light sour cream (Daisy brand.. their light version tastes just like their full fat version) and hot & mild salsa - the chunky kind. I think an enchilada sauce spooned over them would be quite delish as well.. kind of like at home chimichangas only made with eggroll wrappers!

Lisa's Taco Rolls - the full fat version.

1 lb. ground round - browned
1 packet of taco seasoning or 1 tablespoon each of cumin and chile powder + a lil salt and pepper to taste
1 c. shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 sm. can of sliced black olives
3 green onions (plus 1 for sprinkling), sliced thin
12 eggroll wrappers
4-5 cups vegetable or canola oil

Brown your ground meat in a skillet and then either follow the taco seasoning packet directions, or mix in the cumin and chile powder. You can then add your olives and green onions, or set them aside to sprinkle on the meat in the eggroll wrapper - whichever you prefer.

The best way to prepare these is to have all of your ingredients set out in front of you so you can assemble them easily.

Slightly lower than the middle of the eggroll wrapper, place 2 TBS. of the ground meat, spreading it to about 1/2 inch from the sides. Sprinkle over the meat, some grated cheese, olives and green onions (if you haven't already mixed them in with the meat). Taking the bottom of the eggroll wrapper, bring it up and over the filling and then fold in each side of the wrapper. Then roll until you've reached the top of the wrapper, lightly moisten the top of the wrapper and press together so it seals. Set each roll aside, but keep under a damp cloth so that the wrapper doesn't dry out. Continue on until you've used all your fillings.

At this point they can be frozen or kept in the fridge for a few hours or over night as long as a damp towel/cloth is kept over them.

When ready to eat, heat oil in deep fryer or at least a 6 quart stock pot until it reaches 350º

Gently place 2-3 taco rolls into the hot oil and fry until they turn golden brown on one side, then flip them over to fry the other side. Drain well and set on a cookie rack that's placed over a jelly roll sheet that's been lined with newspaper, brown bag paper or paper towels. You probably don't want to place them directly on paper towels as they are still pretty greasy and it'd be icky to have them sit in grease while you are finishing up your batch of delicious taco rolls, wouldn't it?

Serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.. or guacamole! or Holy Mother Of All That Is Artery Clogging.. nacho cheese sauce!! Oh my...

My Notes: As stated above.. do your arteries a favor and don't follow my instructions.. bake these babies in a 350º oven (if fresh) or 425º (if frozen) for, I'd say maybe 8-10 minutes on one side, then flip for an additional 5-8 minutes? Or until they are goldeny brown and delicious.

Also.. I absolutely know if you were to prepare these with the ground chicken/turkey, fat free cheese and the cumin/chile powder/salt & pepper seasonings you'd drastically cut back on fat & calories as well as sodium.

Enjoy!