Southwest Vegan Egg Rolls

Recipe + Photos by April Viar

‘Tis the holiday season and parties abound. Tasty appetizers are the key to any great festive gathering. The love, the laughter and the food一let’s be honest, they make this time of year feel warm and full of joy. These Southwest Egg Rolls make a simple delicious dish. Instead of deep frying them, I used an airfryer and Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray. They are quick to make and super crispy when prepared in the airfryer. I used Certified Vegan Lightlife Southwest Tempeh Cubes in this recipe because they are splendid in this dish. Between the tempeh and the black beans, these vegan egg rolls are power packed with protein! 

Serving: 20

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pack of Certified Vegan Lightlife Southwest Tempeh Cubes
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can sweet corn, drained
• 1 cup diced red peppers
• 1 cup diced orange peppers
• 1 cup diced yellow peppers
• 1 cup diced onions 
• 2 scallions, chopped 
• 1 pack of Nasoya Vegan Egg Roll Wraps (20 wraps) 
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
• 1 cup Violife Cheddar Shreds 
• Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray, for the airfryer
• Pinch of salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Add the olive oil, onions, red, orange and yellow peppers to a pan and saute on medium heat for 10 minutes. Once the peppers and onions are finished cooking add in corn, black  beans, tempeh, and spices  and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. At this point you will incorporate the vegan cheese, nutritional yeast and scallions. Stir everything together really well, set to the side to cool down. You do not want the filling to be really hot when you are rolling the egg rolls. If needed, put the bowl in the refrigerator uncovered for 10 minutes to cool down. 
• Now it is time for the fun stuff: rolling the egg rolls. Wrap the egg rolls per the package’s directions. You will need a small bowl of water to moisten the edges of each wrapper. Lay the egg roll wrapper on a flat surface with a triangle point towards you. Moisten the edges and place 2 tbsp of the filling in the middle of the egg roll. Fold bottom corner over filling. Fold in both sides snuggly against filling. Roll wrap up and seal top corner.  Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Lightly coat the basket of the air fryer with avocado oil and place 4 or 5 egg rolls at a time in the airfryer. Spray the tops of the egg rolls as well. Cook for 12 minutes, flipping them over at 6 minutes. If you are a fan of a little more crunch, let them cook for a couple more minutes on each side. Just keep a close eye on them. 
• Feel free to serve a multitude of dips with the Southwest Egg Rolls. I highly suggest vegan ranch with a splash of hot sauce, guacamole, salsa verde or vegan queso. 

NOTES

If this is your first time making egg rolls, be patient and have fun with it. Set up a little station with your friends and have an egg roll wrapping party. Believe me you will laugh because there is definitely a skill to wrapping the perfect egg roll. You can stuff them with so many different ingredients. Experiment and have a good time!