Southwest Bites

At the beginning of the month, I experiment with my Chain Resteraunt obsession: Chili's Southwest Eggrolls. It was a good start but not perfect. As part of the Gluten Free escapade for Sarah's Christmas I did some finagling with the recipe. The filling is perfect! I placed it in Little Gluten Free Pie crusts and dubbed them Southwest Bites. For Christmas day, I used the filling in premade Phylo Cups and topped with a spicy sourcream. YUM.

I just need to work on the dipping sauce now. Sis and I went to Chili's on our Boxing Day shopping and ofcourse got the Real Deal. They were so yummy good. It really was the casing and dipping sauce that made the dish. So my work continues on this one. However, I'm posting the filling again with the miniscule changes and the (incomplete) Gluten Free Pie Crust.

Gluten Free Pie Crust
Ingredients:
Sarah's Blend for Pie Crust (rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, sugar, salt and xanthan gum).
1/2 c. shortening
4 oz. cream cheese
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. COLD water

Directions:
Mix shortening and cream cheese and flour mix until it forms a course crumb. Add eggs, vanilla, water and mix with hands until smooth. Dump on to lightly floured counter and form two balls. Refridgerate for a few hours.

Gently Roll onto counter and flatten. GF pie crust is very tempermental and tears and breaks easily. It's almost better to do this with your hands, pushing gently away from you with the plam of your hands. Use a glass to cut circles and gently tuck (not press) them into a greased mini muffin tin.

Prebake at 425 for 10 minutes. Fill and heat.

Notes: I can not give you exact measurements for the pie crust as I do not have them. Sarah made up baggies of flour mixes for cakes, pies etc. for me to keep on hand. If you need the exact measurements, please email me and I will get that for you.

Southwest Filling

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
2 1/2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup canned black bean, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced canned green chili peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Rub chicken breast with oil and cook/grill approx. 5 minutes per side or until done and then dice.

Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté. Add Chicken. Stir.
Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan.
Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well to make sure it is blended nicely.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.