Monday, February 20, 2012

Avocado Egg Rolls with Cilantro Dipping Sauce


If you love Avocado, you're in for an amazing adventure this week. The Virtual Potluck team has partnered up with SoCal Avocados to bring you some amazing dishes featuring the smooth, creamy, farm-fresh avocado.

To appreciate what you're about to be presented with, an avocado tutorial is in order.


First, some interesting health facts. At first glance, the calories look daunting with 384 per cup, but it's important to know that it's mostly monoinsaturated fat (popularly referred to as "good fat") which has been shown in studies to lower bad cholesterol and, in some cases, raise good cholesterol.

Another interesting fact that I learned is that the avocado's don't really ripen unitl after they're picked. That means that the SoCal farmers leave them on the tree until your order is ready. Then you receive a box full of nice firm avocados. Place a few in a brown paper bag and they'll be ripe and ready to go in no time.

Finally, a little bit about the current in season varieties:

Bacon: A lighter taste with a yellow/green color. Smooth thin green skin. Large seed. Peels easily. Average weight is 10 to 18 ounces. Ripe when yields slightly to pressure. Originated in Buena Park, California by James Bacon. Introduced in 1951.

Haas: Hass Avocados have a wonderful rich, buttery, nutty flavor. Grown year round, ships and stores well. Thick skin turns from green to a purplish black when ripe. Flesh is pale green with a creamy texture. Oval shaped fruit from 5 to 14 ounces. Medium seed size. Peels easily.

Pinkerton: This variety looks like a long pear with pebbly green skin. The skin darkens when the fruit is ripe. The flesh is a creamy pale green with a small seed. This avocado is available winter through spring.

Fuerte: Great taste. Creamy pale green flesh. Picked November through March. Smooth skin with medium thickness. Medium seed size. Peels easily. Pear shaped weighing 9 to 16 ounces. Ripe when yields to slight pressure. Skin is green when ripe.

Be sure to Check out SoCal's website for more information on all the varieties they have. Also, be sure to check out their Avocado of the Month club. I mean, how can you go wrong with getting fresh avocados on your porch every month?

Other than just being able to slice up and eat avocados plain, there is so much that you can do with them! We made some awesome guacamole, mexican casserole and I even breaded and deep fried some wedges. Be sure to check out our host blog to see what everyone else has come up with today!



The recipe I want to share with you today though is an Avocado Egg Roll. I loved the crispy shell that gives way to the creamy chucnks of avocado and sun dried tomatoes. So easy to make and they were the perfect party food.

I know you want to make some of these for yourself but you need some avocados right? Well, go check out SoCal Avocados site and leave me a comment with your favorite variety. I'll pick a winner that will receive 12 avocados fresh from the farm!

For extra entries (leave a separate comment for each)

Follow SoCal Avocados on Twitter
Subscribe to SoCal Avocados email newsletter (look on the left side bar)
Follow Thyme In Our Kitchen on Facebook

 


Avocado Egg Rolls with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

 Egg Roll
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted; diced
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch salt
3 egg roll wraps
1 egg, beaten

Dipping Sauce
3 -4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 green onions
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Egg Rolls
Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.

Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.

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.

Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

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

Dipping Sauce
Stir together vinegars and honey in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute.

In a blender, Puree vinegar mixture, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin.

Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil. Refrigerate until ready to use.




64 comments:

  1. The Egg Rolls Look Incredible Matt! Can't wait to try your recipe!

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  2. The eggrolls look great. My favorite variety is Haas, but I would love to try the Bacon and Gwen varieties.

    cereza25 at yahoo dot com

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  3. I follow SoCal on Twitter.
    cereza25 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I signed up for their newsletter.
    cereza25 at yahoo dot com

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  5. I like you on FB.

    cereza25 at yahoo dot com

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  6. I didn't realize that there were so many varieties. I've always liked the Haas. The Haas are my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Subscribe to SoCal Avocados email newsletter cjsorel at hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Follow Thyme In Our Kitchen on Facebook

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  9. YUM! And I could think of about a million and one uses for that cilantro dipping sauce.

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  10. These look amazing! I have only had the opportunity to try Haas avocados, but I would love to try the Gwen variety! Or all if I could :)

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  11. my favorite are haas but I'd like to try fuerte!

    jfong1130 at yahoo dot com

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  12. That roll must be delicious with the creamy avocado filling!

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  13. I follow socal acocados on twitter. I am @purplelarkspur

    larkspurpurple (at) gmail.com

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  14. That looks amazing. I would like to try the MacArthur Avocados. Thanks. yellow_patricia at hotmail dot com

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  15. I Follow SoCal Avocados on Twitter as yourpotofgold. yellow_patricia at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I Follow Thyme In Our Kitchen on Facebook. yellow_patricia at hotmail dot com

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  17. Those egg rolls look AMAZING, and i would go for a whole box of Pinkertons.

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  18. ummm...Haas look amazing
    Michael Weber
    Your hungry little brother

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  19. I subscribed to SoCal Avocados email newsletter.

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  20. I've got to try these. I made avocado egg rolls a few years ago and I've been wanting to make them again. I love that you used red onion and sun dried tomatoes, yum!

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  21. Hass are my favorite, but I'd love to try some of the others! I love avocados! Can't wait to try out your recipe!

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  22. I think I have only ever had Hass, but I would like to try to GWEN variety.

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  23. also fallowing on your facebook page.

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  24. I'd like to try the Fuerte avocado.
    racblom@juno.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I follow Thyme in Our Kitchen on FB.
    racblom@juno.com

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  26. Brilliant! I use avocado all the time in sushi but in an eggroll? Utter brilliance! And they look out of this world. Just an exquisite recipe!

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  27. I'd like to try the easy to peel ZUTANO avocado.

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  28. I subscribed to So Cal's newsletter.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I am following So Cal on twitter @rusthawk.

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  30. I am following you on facebook. Thank you!

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  31. Just ordered the Fuerte variety. They remind me of the kind grown in the Dominican Republic. I'll let you know how they turn out.

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  32. cheesecake factory recipe huh? haha..they have this exact thing as an appetizer on their menu.

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  33. I love anything with avocado so, I know I have to try these. YUMMY!

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  34. That dipping sauce ALONE would be hard for me to resist–cilantro-anything has my name written ALL over it! But those eggrolls look amazing and I love me some avo, so I must make these.

    Hyacinth
    Houston Downtown Apartments

    ReplyDelete
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