Recipes Archives - Page 4 of 20 -

Superbowl Food

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 31, 2014
Post category:Events / Misc. / Recipes
Post comments:5 Comments

As the majority of you know, Superbowl Sunday is coming up in just a couple of days. If you ask me if I care about who wins the game I would say I certainly don’t. Although, I was listening to Sports Radio yesterday (#whoami?) and decided I’m going to cheer for the Seahawks just because I went to Seattle this year. Looks like I’ll be wearing blue on Sunday! Maybe I do care who wins. 😉 I really don’t.

I don’t get too excited for the game. I get excited for the commercials, the half-time show, puppy Superbowl, and the food.

Lots of planning goes into Super bowl munchies, and this year is no exception. I am teaming up with Cub Foods Grocery Store and their store brand Essential Everyday, to put together some seriously delicious grub that will fill our tummies, but that won’t break the bank. I am lucky enough to have a Cub Foods just down the street from me, and that is where I will be doing the majority of my Superbowl shopping this year!

I’m throwing the whole “dietitian” title to the wayside for the day and treating myself to a fun array of dishes. (The dietitian speaks): Although I do encourage you all to watch your portions and make healthy adjustments if they won’t ruin the taste or texture of the dish! 😉 I just can’t brush it off completely can I?

Cub Foods has offered some delicious ideas for game day. These are three that I am contemplating. I haven’t decided if I’m making all three or just one or two. I also am planning to switch them up just a little bit and add my Melanie touches to them.

If you are interested in viewing Cub’s recipes, clink on the image or the recipe title and it will bring you to the page!

Chili Cheese Fries: If I make these fries, I will omit the processed cheese and use natural cheese instead, and possibly make my own baked fries.

Awesome Guacamole: gahhh I love guac!

Chipotle Sliders: hubs is real excited about this one!

Thank you Cub and Essential Everyday for these party ideas! More to come on the Cub Foods and Essential Everyday next week.

Other Game Day Ideas (click on recipe title to view recipe details):

Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce (you could skip the dipping sauce if you’d like–they’re good enough on their own!)

Ham and Asparagus Wraps

Cowboy Caviar: serve with bell peppers or corn tortilla chips

Four Bean Quinoa Chili

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites from Skinny Taste:

This Bean Dip from The Country Cook:

I’ve made this before and it was a crowd pleaser! I cut down the cheese a bit though. I love cheese but the amount it called for was getting ridiculous.

Clean Freedom Brownies from The Gracious Pantry:

It looks like I have some decisions to make because goodness knows I am not making all of these recipes for Sunday!

I’ll be recapping my game day eats with you next week and I’ll have yet another giveaway coming your way so keep an eye out for it!

Happy Friday!

What are your plans for Superbowl if any?

Any special game-day eats?

Disclaimer: Cub Foods and Essential Everyday have provided me with gift cards to spend on groceries for game day at Cub Foods. All opinions expressed on the store and products are solely my own.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 30, 2014
Post category:Gluten-Free / Recipes
Post comments:7 Comments

One of my favorite “picnic” salads is the broccoli salad. It’s creamy from mayo or miracle whip, sweet from the golden raisins, and salty from the onions and bacon. Mmmm…

I had a whole bag of broccoli in the fridge that needed to be dealt with before going bad. I didn’t have any mayo on hand, so I had to get creative.

After some mixing and concocting, I came up with this zippy (slightly tangy) broccoli and bacon salad.

Broccoli, raisins, almonds, turkey bacon, and an apple…

…topped with a mildly sweet and tangy honey lime vinaigrette.

The perfect texture and taste combination: crunchy, sweet, salty, and zippy!

It tastes best if you let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to let all of the flavors co-mingle and allow the salad to settle.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

Print

Ingredients

2 heads broccoli florets only, chopped
5 pieces crispy turkey bacon, diced
1/ cup almonds, chopped
¾ cup raisins
1 small apple, diced
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. pumpkin oil (omit and replace with olive oil if you don’t have pumpkin oil)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1.5 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
dash onion powder
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl mix together broccoli, bacon, almonds, raisins and apple. Set aside.
In a food processor, puree garlic, lime juice, oil, dijon mustard, vinegar, honey, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Poor liquid mixture over broccoli and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe adapted from: The Healthy Foodie

It’s easy, it’s mayo-free, it’s tangy and it’s a nice spin on an ol’ fav!

What are some of your favorite “picnic” salads? Besides the broccoli salad I also really enjoy cabbage ramen noodle salad, Italian pasta salad and taco salad. Then again, it isn’t too often I meet a salad I don’t enjoy.

Thirsty Thursday: Refreshing Mocktails

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 23, 2014
Post category:Misc. / Recipes / Sweet Treats
Post comments:14 Comments

The first thing I did this morning upon waking was look at my Weather Channel app and guess what it told me? That it is -18°F and it feels like -39°F with the windchill.

Schools are closed but work is still open. The cold weather does make us tougher though I do have to admit. That is me trying to stay positive right there. When the above zero days shine their faces on us, it feels like a heat wave. Bring on the heat wave tomorrow!

Speaking of heat wave, let’s use our imaginations today. Imagine you are on a soft sandy beach in the Caribbean. You have a lounge chair set up on the beach so that the ocean hits at your feet just enough to cool off from the sizzling sun. In your right hand is your favorite book, and in your left hand is a refreshing cocktail or mocktail. 🙂

You lay there all day because you have nothing else to do (don’t forget the sunscreen!), just sipping away at your mojito and gazing out at the blue waters.

Are you there? Let that thought get you through your day. Dream a little dream!

Need some mocktail ideas? I have got you covered. I’m currently not drinking alcohol because it tends to wreak havoc on my digestive system, so I compiled a handful of non-alcoholic beverages that are refreshing and will help you to live in your imaginary moment whenever you want.

Crank up the heat and whip up one of these beverages! It’s what I plan to do this weekend!

Click on the links to view the recipe and source.

1. Strawberry Watermelon Spritzer

2. Mint Limeade

3. Non-Alcoholic Sangria

4. Pomegranate Spritzer (Thanks, Sarah!)

5. Blueberry Spritzer

6. Blueberry Mojito

Who says you can’t have a taste of the tropics in your very own home? You can do whatever you want.

I’ll be here today…

beach

In my mind.

Happy Thursday!

If you could travel ANYWHERE today, where would you travel?

Any good mocktail recipes?

Warm Cauliflower, Quinoa & Feta Salad

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 20, 2014
Post category:Dinners / Gluten-Free / Recipes
Post comments:13 Comments

The cold winter evenings call for warm healthy dinners. Last night was no exception.

I roasted one head of organic cauliflower in a bit of olive oil in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes, stirring it halfway. Once it was perfectly roasted, I set it aside as I whipped up the remainder of our meal.

My Sunday creation…

Next, I got the quinoa cooking. I mixed together one cup of quinoa with one cup of chicken stock and one cup of water. I brought the quinoa and liquids to a boil, then covered and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid was gone. Then, I added garlic powder, turmeric, salt and pepper. I let this sit as I finished the rest of the meal.

In a large saute pan, I sautéed onion, zucchini, and garlic in olive oil. I then added a handful of spinach, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and the roasted cauliflower. I added in dried oregano, dried basil, salt and pepper to taste. I gave this all a stir until the spinach was wilted in the dish.

My original plan was to stir the quinoa into the veggies and then serve it, but I decided to keep them separate.

To plate: beautiful yellow quinoa, topped with veggies, then feta cheese crumbles (this adds so much great flavor so don’t forget!!), and chopped kalamata olives.

Dana and I both absolutely loved this dish. There were so many different textures and flavors and they all came together perfectly.

Whip it up for yourself! Try it for meat-free Monday!

Warm Cauliflower, Quinoa & Feta Salad

Print

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1 cup dried quinoa
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
½ teaspoon turmeric
dash of garlic powder
salt and pepper
¾ cup onion, diced
½ cup zucchini, finely diced
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
handful of spinach
¾ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2-3 cups roasted cauliflower, chopped into large chunks
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
⅓ cup kalamata olives, diced
feta cheese crumbles

Instructions

Prepare quinoa per directions on package cooking with one part chicken stock and one part water.
Once quinoa is fully cooked, stir in turmeric, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large saute pan, saute onions, zucchini and garlic cloves in olive oil. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
Next, add in a handful of spinach, beans, roasted cauliflower, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes.
You can now mix the quinoa with the veggies or keep them separate. I kept them separate.
To plate (if kept separate): quinoa as the base, next the sautéed veggies, then the kalamata olives and feta cheese. Serve warm.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.

Any delicious recipes from the weekend or planned for the week ahead?

xoxo

Favorites from the Week: Spin, Florida, Food

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 17, 2014
Post category:Fav Products / Fitness / Lunch / Recipes / Travel / Workouts
Post comments:12 Comments

Happy Friday! I’m linkin’ up with Katie’s Friday Favorites today. Thanks, Katie!

Many of my Friday favorites involve events that you have already heard about this week. Although, there is one amazing day that I still have to share about (I won’t forget I promise!).

Some of my Friday Favorites…

1. Spin class with Dana and Dara Torres. A great workout instructed by an olympian with my honey by my side. Sounds nice, right?

2. Snacking on Driscoll’s blueberries! So crunchy and sweet and fiberlicious.

3. Homemade California Rolls with quinoa instead of white rice. This was my first ever attempt at using quinoa instead of white rice in these rolls. I let the quinoa cook for an extended period of time before stirring in a vinegar, honey, salt, and water mixture. The combination of overcooking the quinoa and adding the vinegar mixture made the quinoa perfectly sticky and so easy to use in the rolls. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to white rice! 4. Mini getaway to Orlando with Dana. Sunshine, relaxation, and Disney. 🙂 5. Salt ‘n Vinegar Blue Diamond Almonds. I mentioned these a couple of days ago I realize, but they make an appearance again because they are SO good.

6. The kettle chips from M. Tavern in Orlando. The chips were super crunchy just how I like them. 7. Egg salad with avocado. One hard-boiled egg, 1/4 of an avocado, mustard, green onions, and pepper. A perfect snack or addition to your lunch! 8. Wild Harvest’s Organic Green Chai Tea. (I originally typed green thai chee. A little dyslexic today I guess). 🙂 I’ve been limiting my coffee intake and replacing with tea instead and this has been a morning staple for me. I add a splash of coconut milk creamer too.

There you have it!

What are some of your Friday favs?

Current breakfast beverage?

Current favorite snack?

Warm and Comforting Meals

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 9, 2014
Post category:Dinners / Gluten-Free / Recipes
Post comments:11 Comments

Hey there!

Remember my New Year’s “resolution”? I am happy to say that over a week into the year, I am still on a roll with getting more creative with my meals, or more so being more motivated to make meals. I did get some help this week from family and friends but I did a bunch on my own too! I’m taking a few extra minutes on the weekends to semi-plan some meals for the week, so that I can get everything I need on our weekly grocery trip.

I missed the WIAW link-up yesterday, but want to share some of my veggie-packed eats as of lately. So here I go again with my version of WIAW: What I’ve Been Eating Lately: Warm and Comforting Meals!

Sautéed mushrooms, onions, black beans, and tomatoes served over crunchy spinach with havarti cheese and an egg. The egg was supposed to be over-easy but I kept cracking the sensitive yolk. I gave up after cracking the yolk on my second attempt. It was still good just not as good.

Homemade chili from Amanda! I topped the chili with some colby jack cheese we had on hand. Sorry about the lighting; it doesn’t do the soup justice I swear!

Mom’s homemade meatloaf! This meal was thoroughly enjoyed on an extremely cold winter evening here in Minnesota; one of the coldest we’ve had in a long time. Talk about comfort food. It warms my belly just thinking of it. Mmmm so so good.

Mom’s homemade ham and bean soup. She used the leftover ham from Christmas to make this super comforting soup.

I was so excited that I had a few meals made for me this week. It always holds true that when someone else makes food for you, it tastes better. Thanks mom and Amanda!

I definitely preferred warm meals this week due to the weather (besides my smoothies of course), but did manage to make a couple of cold salads. This one is spinach, broccoli, muffuletta mix, havarti cheese, BBQ chicken, and ranch.

Last night I made chicken stuffed zucchini boats. I mixed together diced cooked chicken, diced onion, parmesan cheese, and marinara sauce. I hollowed out a zucchini and filled it with the mixture. I topped the boats with mozzarella cheese and a bit more parmesan, baked them at 375 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, and finished them off under the broiler.

Not too shabby for an impromptu Wednesday evening meal!

Let’s hope the creativity continues all year!

What have you been cooking up lately?

Maple Mustard Salmon and Sisterhood

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 6, 2014
Post category:Blog / Dinners / Friends / Misc. / Moose / Recipes
Post comments:7 Comments

This was one of those weekends that went so fast it hardly seemed like it existed. The only proof I have is that I took a few photos from the weekend. 🙂 Kidding, I have fond memories from the weekend to remind me that it existed too. But seriously, it did fly by.

My weekend was full of exercise, cleaning, putting Christmas decorations away, hanging out with girlfriends, and running errands. Today as the weather is dramatically low, I will be keeping warm and hibernating as best as I can.

A couple of snap shots from the weekend:

Quinoa salad bowl with spinach, quinoa, tomato, muffuletta, and hummus. It was pretty darn good even though I was forced to scarf it down in the Target parking lot and even though I was really craving peanut butter. But, it’s what I had packed!

On Friday night I switched up our typical salmon (my favorite salmon) for a maple mustard salmon. Dana grilled the salmon on the grill per usual as I prepared the maple mustard mixture. You are actually supposed to slather this mixture/sauce on the salmon before and as they are being grilled, but I didn’t want to waste any of it down the grates of the grill so we kept them separate.

The mustard maple sauce was from a recipe on Chow. Here’s the recipe from their website: Maple-Mustard Grilled Salmon

For the glaze:

1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The changes I made were I used dried thyme instead of fresh and halved the recipe since we were only making two salmon fillets.

After the salmon were done on the grill, we set them in the saucepan inside and then transferred them to our plates pouring the sauce over the salmon. It was good but not as good as my favorite sesame oil, almond, and caper recipe!

On Saturday evening I had some of my girls over for girls night. We had an array of snacks: Chex Mix, apples with peanut butter Greek yogurt dip, cheese (havarti–my fav) and crackers, veggies and hummus, chocolate, and wine.

We chatted, played games, ate, watched part of a movie and then crashed before midnight. Oh how the times have changed. I love those ladies with all of my heart and can’t wait to be reunited again!

Speaking of ladies, my dear friend Katie (Running4Cupcakes) has nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award! I am always grateful for these nominations so thank you Katie for nominating me!

sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award-w500

The Rules

1. Post the logo on your blog
2. Thanks the person who nominated you
3. Answer the questions
4. Choose 10 or so other ladies who blog as your nominees
5. Post the links to the nominees’ blogs and notify them on their blog

Favorite color – I really don’t have a favorite color. I like them all and my color choice depends on my mood mostly. I guess I could say I’m a red gal though. I have a lot of red accents around my house and I love wearing red.

Favorite animal – Dogs and monkeys and gorillas. They all make me laugh!

Favorite non-alcoholic drink – Turtle Mocha Northern Lite Lattes, Skinny Peppermint Mocha, sparkling water, water.

Facebook or Twitter – Facebook I guess. I kind of get tired of both actually and yet I check both of them all of the time.

Favorite pattern – Zebra print, leopard print, stripes, polka dots.

Favorite number – Growing up it was 32 which was my basketball number, but today I don’t have one. Maybe I should follow Katie’s lead and use birthdays; so 16.

Favorite day of the week – Friday! I bet you could have guessed that based on my excitement in my Friday posts.

Do you prefer getting or giving presents? – Giving a perfect gift and seeing that person’s face light up is the best BUT I will not lie…I like getting presents too.

Favorite Flower – tulips, gerberas, roses…

What is your passion – Family, food, health, fitness, cooking, positivity, travel, happiness, and love.

Now it’s your turn:

Sarah
Caroline
Becky
Shannon
Chelsea
Hannah
Kim
Christie
Jackie
Kate

It’s your turn too even if your name isn’t listed above! Answer some of the questions in the comment section! HAAAaaaave fun!!

Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

Post author:Melanie
Post published:December 30, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Recipes
Post comments:3 Comments

I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions, but this year I’m making an exception. It’s a casual resolution but it’s one I would really like to work on.

The resolution is: to start cooking more healthy meals at home again and quit slacking!

I feel so accomplished and my body always thanks me when I make a nice meal, so now it’s just a matter of planning, preparing and executing it. I WILL be making this happen!

Last night, I began working toward the resolution by cooking up a recipe inspired by Ellie Krieger for Orange Sesame Chicken. I actually found the recipe while perusing through the Sunday paper. Here is the link for the recipe: Ellie’s Orange Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry.

I changed a handful of items in the recipe. I omitted the step where you coat the chicken with flour and lightly pan-fry it because I had already grilled up a chicken breast so I was just going to use that instead. I used a half a pound of chicken because I was just cooking for Dana and myself. I used broccoli and a handful of sugar snap peas instead of snow peas. I used Sriracha instead of crushed red pepper flakes. I ended up making the whole batch of sauce even though I only made a half batch of the chicken and it ended up being quite a bit of sauce. Next time, I would probably make the whole batch of chicken, and just save the leftovers for later.

Here is the recipe I used including changes I would make next time around! Enjoy.

Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger Ingredients

2 tsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2 medium oranges
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Sriracha sauce
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, or about 4 small-medium breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

Directions

Use vegetable peeler to peel 3-4 pieces of orange peel; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine juice from oranges, garlic, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, cornstarch, and Sriracha. Use fork or whisk to mix until cornstarch is dissolved.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, lightly coated with olive oil. Add broccoli and snap peas to pan. Lightly saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add sauce and orange peels to pan. Stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Add chicken to pan and stir to combine. Let heat through for 3 minutes.
Serve hot and top with sesame seeds, discarding the orange peels.

It was a very flavorful meal and I felt like I was eating take-out at home! It was a nice change to the usual dinner rotation. Stay warm this Monday and have a good one!

What meals are you planning this week?

Any New Year’s Resolutions?

Fried Avocados Make the World a Better Place

Post author:Melanie
Post published:December 16, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Recipes / Restaurants
Post comments:9 Comments

We are yet another day closer to Christmas! The time is flying by as it always does and I am doing my best to soak in all I can of the celebration of Christmas around me. That means Christmas music at every chance, Christmas lights on, Christmas-scented candles, cookie making, etc.!! 🙂

This weekend was productive yet low-key. It started with date night at Lago Tacos in Excelsior, MN. It is a fairly small establishment full of so much coziness. The lights were dim, the room was perfectly warm, and they had holiday decorations up to add even further to the warm ambiance.

Dana and I started dinner with an order of fried avocados #allinmoderation #yolo. OH.MY. There is a reason they earned the title spot for this post. These babies were incredible. You start with a cool and creamy avocado (you can’t go wrong there), then you roll it in a light batter with just a hint of salt, fry it up until golden brown, and serve it with some type of cool sauce with just a hit of spice. They created a home run with this one that’s for sure.

I actually practiced decent self-control and stopped after two slices; I had a huge platter of tacos still coming my way!

The tacos come in an order of three so I decided to mix and match so that I could try three different tacos. I chose the garden, the grilled chicken, and the carnitas taco.

I honestly think these were the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. My favorite out of the three was surprisingly the carnitas one although I loved them all.

I thoroughly enjoyed date night with my man (and had to model my new sweater from my mom and dad). 😉

On Saturday we ran what seemed like a kajillion errands including a trip to Caribou for a Northern Lite Turtle Mocha (my current favorite) and purchasing a new vehicle for Dana!

In the evening we made our way to Dana’s parents for dinner and some Christmas cookie baking! My first Christmas cookies of the season, followed by more cookie making this week with mom!

Sunday we cleaned the house, got some groceries, ran some more errands, and finally whipped together dinner.

I made a Parmesan Broiled Tilapia recipe that I found on the one, the only, Pinterest.

It turned out well, but I still had to have some cocktail sauce on the side. I love my ketchup!

I am hoping and praying for a great week. Enjoy the holiday cheer around you my friends!

Questions:

Have you ever tried fried avocados?

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch

Post author:Melanie
Post published:December 10, 2013
Post category:Dinners / holidays / Recipes
Post comments:15 Comments

Hello my beauties! I hope everyone is staying nice and warm inside on these frigid days as much as possible.

How about something fun to get your mind off of the cold?

I’ve got the perfect warm holiday appetizer recipe for you! I have to give thanks to Budget Savvy Diva for coming up with this wonderful masterpiece.

They’re warm, they’re cool, crunchy and creamy and they are SO darn delicious!

I’m talking about these Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Sauce. I actually called mine Santa Fe Egg Rolls but same difference I guess.

They do call for a little bit of TLC, but the end product is totally worth it. A little mixing, wrapping and rolling….and these babies are all yours.

I served the egg rolls warm and I cut them in half so that they were more of an appetizer-size.

My only regret is that I didn’t take a picture of the egg rolls after they were cut in half, and I also didn’t take a photo of the pretty green dip! So here’s my idea, you make these for your friends and family and you can see exactly what they look like!

Thank you Budget Savvy Diva for this awesome recipe! Here is the link to her recipe: Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch and below is her recipe but with a few of my adaptations.

Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch

Ingredients

Egg rolls:

Egg roll wraps (15 pack)
2 cups corn
1-15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1-4 ounce can diced green chilies
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
cracked black pepper

Avocado ranch dip:

1 cup ranch salad dressing (use your favorite)
1 medium avocado
2 tablespoons cilantro
juice from 1/3 lime

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover large baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl mix together egg roll ingredients (except the egg roll wraps).
In a small bowl mix together one egg beaten and one tablespoon water.
Place first egg roll wrapper on flat clean surface. Brush top corner of egg roll wrapper with egg wash.
Place two tablespoons of egg roll mixture onto the lower one-third of the egg roll wrapper, leaving a small border around the edges. Fold button end up, followed by the sides, then finish rolling up. Place seal side down on baking pan. Spray the top with olive oil (or brush it on).
Bake for 25-30 minutes turning halfway*. Then turn broiler on and broil for 5 minutes if further browning is necessary. They are ready when golden brown.
While egg rolls are baking, place ranch avocado ingredients into food processor and process until smooth.
Serve egg rolls warm alongside cold avocado ranch dipping sauce!

The next day, I used leftover avocado ranch to top off my salad—such a brilliant idea; absolutely delicious.

What are your favorite holiday appetizers?!