The last time I made these Baked Egg Rolls (which was also the first time), I described them as “yummy and healthy,” and I still agree with that assessment. However, even after bumping up the flavor a bit this time around, I don’t think I’ll be making them again. The boys won’t touch them, and I would be just as happy with a stir fry made out of the filling, without the extra step of rolling them into wrappers and baking them.
This time around I used more cabbage (8 cups, the yield from a small, 1.8 lb. common green cabbage), more carrots (3 cups of pre-shredded, bagged carrot), and less turkey (just half a pound). I wanted to add sprouts, but was surprised to find my grocery store doesn’t carry them. I did add a bunch of green onions (8 of them, minced), too. When I browned the turkey, I did so in a couple of teaspoons of sesame oil, which I think improved the overall flavor of the dish.
Otherwise I kept the sauce the same, though I think I wound up cooking the filling for longer than last time. I prefer the cabbage to remain a little al dente, but in this attempt it was cooked a bit beyond that.
The egg rolls are still tasty, and they smelled terrific while they were baking. It was a drama-free, but still terribly unsuccessful meal: G. ate a bit or two of Basmati rice, and that was it. A. had slightly more. I enjoyed the egg rolls, which is a good thing — I’ll be eating the leftovers many, many times over.
Other than the awesome baked egg rolls, this week was a bust cooking-wise. I had a lot of nights where we planned to eat out, and somehow that just got me out of the mood to cook most of the other nights as well. That, and temperatures in the high 90s with oppressive humidity.
I also did unusually poorly this week using up food in my fridge. A portion of leftover Marinated Raw Summer Squash, a grilled chicken breast, and a couple of cooked sweet potatoes (I never made the Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos) all laid around until I had no healthy option but to toss them. The waste bothers me. I’m normally great about using up bits and pieces in my fridge for lunches, but I suppose we all have off weeks. This was definitely mine!
Now it’s a new week, and I’ve got a new, modest plan:
As a self-confessed Chinese food junkie, I can tell you that these egg rolls are really fun and very tasty, but they won’t remind you of the deep-fried egg rolls you get from your favorite take-out shop. That’s OK, because they’re yummy and healthy, and they used up my farm share cabbage this week. The trifecta!
I felt that there was too much meat in these as I prepared them — the meat should be a seasoning with the vegetables at the front, but it was reversed. Perhaps if I hadn’t cooked the cabbage and carrot, it would have been fine. Next time I would halve the turkey, while doubling the carrot and also adding bean sprouts. I would still quickly saute all the veggies with the turkey, though, because I think it helps control the liquid in the filling. I was surprised at how easy it was to actually roll up the wrappers — they were a lot less delicate than I’d expected.
I served these with Saucy Susan peach-apricot sauce for a dipping sauce, plus sauteed braising & beet greens (with a little sesame oil and garlic) and brown rice.
In a large non-stick skillet, brown turkey with garlic, using a spatula to keep breaking the turkey up into small pieces.
Over high heat, add remaining ingredients (except for wrappers!) to the pan and stir to combine. Saute for a few minutes until cabbage just begins to wilt. Remove from heat.
Spoon about one heaping soup spoon of filling into each egg roll wrapper and fold. Set egg roll seam-side down on a non-stick baking pan, and bake for 15 minutes or until browned.
When you purchase a share through Roxbury Farm, you are also obligated to do one volunteer day at your pick-up site (you can buy out of it if you can’t commit the time, but I think it is a fun part of participating in a CSA). Wednesday was my volunteer day, and with the exception of some rain it went smoothly. It is, as Vicki succinctly described it, just “babysitting organic vegetables” for an afternoon. Since I had to pack up all the leftovers at the end of the day, I can tell you one thing for sure: not many people are taking the braising greens. I must have packed up half a dozen bags brimming with the stuff.
I was excited to receive beets and snap peas this week! The peas are especially delicious, and A. loves to pop the peas out of the pod and eat them (you can eat the pod, though). We also got basil, cilantro, parsley, zucchini, yellow squash, a small green cabbage, more fresh garlic, scallions, lettuce mix, the aforementioned braising greens, and a cucumber. I may make baked egg rolls with the cabbage, and will probably grill the zucchini and squash for our Sunday barbecue.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Cheesy Kale Crisps: We rarely eat kale now that our farm share is over, and I want to fix that. I've wanted to try using nutritional yeast, and this recipe looks like a tasty way to do it.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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