Baked Phyllo Spring Rolls

Baked Phyllo Spring Rolls use sheets of light phyllo dough to roll up lots of fresh veggies and meat to make crisp, delicious spring rolls.

Okay, so I know I cook a lot of rich food.  My tastebuds are in love with pretty much all of the no-no's.

You know what I'm talking about.

Cheesy, creamy, lusciously delicious foods.  Pizza, baked macaroni and cheese, philly cheesesteak sandwiches, french fries.  Ugh, I love them all.

But after arguing with my scale for the past couple of weeks (I swear it lies!) and randomly deciding to watch my dvd of the first season of Sex and the City (can I please just have Carrie Bradshaw's body?), I'm feeling like I need to up the healthy dinners a bit.

Which brings me to this recipe.  I found it in Rachel Ray's magazine and fell in love with it.  The phyllo dough is light and bakes to crisp deliciousness and is packed with fresh veggies galore.  And the best part?  One spring roll is only 85 calories. (Take that, scale!)  I don't think I'll be giving up my baked macaroni and cheese any time soon, but I can at least attempt to balance it out a few nights a week.   With recipes like this, it won't be hard.

Baked Phyllo Spring Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped   
• 2 small celery ribs from the center of the bunch, finely chopped
• 6 canned water chestnuts, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh bean sprouts, chopped
• 12 oz chicken breast, cooked and chopped (crab, shrimp or fish would also work well)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (I use light soy sauce, less sodium and tastes the same to me!)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dried thyme
• approximately 6 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• your favorite Asian sauce for dipping.  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Over medium high heat, cook the bell pepper, celery, water chestnuts and onion for about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add the cooked chicken, bean sprouts, soy sauce and thyme and combine well.
3.  Paint half of 1 sheet of phyllo with butter.  Using the butter as "glue", fold the sheet in half to make a rectangle.  Place about one third a cup of filling at the bottom of a narrow side leaving about a 2 inch border on three sides.
4. To roll, fold the sides in, fold the bottom up and roll up to seal.  
5. Place seam side down on a baking sheet and paint the roll with melted butter.  
6. Repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with Asian dipping sauce of your choice. 

Notes

• We like to use an Asian sesame ginger salad dressing for dipping!