RECIPES - 10 Ways To Use Egg Roll Wrappers

Tired of the same old thing? Need ideas for entertaining, or just something healthy and fun to eat? Here are 10 fun recipes using egg roll wrappers to sink your teeth into.

1. Cilantro Wrapped Shrimp. Halve raw shrimp lengthwise and season with salt and pepper. Cut wrappers into quarters. Dip each in a milk and egg mix and place a shrimp half on a corner. Add a pinch of cilantro and a slice of red bell pepper. Roll up, put seam side down in a pan with a thin layer of hot oil and cook until they are light golden brown and shrimp is done. -- Guy Fieri, Food Network host and author of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

2. Build a Salad. Pan searing wrappers in some olive oil gets them sturdy and crisp so you can layer them with your favorite salad ingredients. For a Caesar salad, stack layers of mixed greens and chicken between wrappers. Top with tomato, shaved Parmesan, and dressing. -- Jim Coleman, chef and host of Healthy Flavors on PBS

3. Make a Napoleon dessert. Quarter egg roll wrappers to form smaller squares. Fry or bake them until crisp. Brush with melted dark chocolate, layer with fresh seasonal fruit to make a Napoleon. -- Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, chefs and owners of Arrows and MC Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, ME

4. Make a Personal Lasagna. Rinse the wrappers with cold water to remove excess starch. Then mix ricotta, cubed mozzarella, grated Parmesan, eggs and seasoning. In small baking dishes, layer marinara sauce and the filling in between wrappers (trimmed to fit the dishes), and top with more sauce and mozzarella. Bake until bubbly. -- Maria Helm Sinskey, author of Williams-Sonoma Family Meals

5. Top a Pie. Pile fruit in an oven safe dish with sugar and a little cornstarch. Brush wrappers with melted butter [or substitute] on one side and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Loosely crumple them and arrange, buttered side up, on top of the fruit until there are no gaps. Bake until fruit is tender and topping is golden brown. -- Nadia Arumugam, author of Chop, Sizzle and Stir

6. Make Appetizers. Great for Asian-inspired crab salad! Just cut them down to size, press into mini-muffin tins, brush with oil and bake until crisp. Then spoon crab salad - made with crab meat, mango, scallions, cilantro, and lime - into the cups right before serving. It's the perfect party pleaser! -- Ellie Krieger, Food Network host and author of The Food You Crave

7. Snack on Crispy Chips. Cut the wrappers into strips. Brush with canola oil, top with a few grinds of salt and pepper and bake until firm. Server them like chips with salsa, or make an Asian dipping sauce by whisking together garlic, chiles, lime, hoisin sauce, champagne vinegar, sugar and cilantro. They're a perfect little snack. -- Tim Love, chef and owner of the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth, TX

8. Fold Crepes. Use them like the thin French pancakes and fill them with fruit and nuts. Grind up toasted pistachios and mix with apples or peaches and a little milk, sugar and cinnamon. Spoon into a wrapper heating in a pan, cook until warm and fold closed. -- Lyssie Lakatos, RD, coauthor of The Secret to Skinny

9. Stuff Empanadas. Simply fill the egg roll wrappers with your favorite ingredients, fold over and seal the edges to make easy empanadas. Brush each side with some olive oil and bake in the oven until golden. These Latin turnovers [are wonderful] filled with a mixture of spinach, Manchego cheese, and artichoke; but any vegetable, cheese or cooked meat or a combination tastes great. -- Darren Carbone, executive chef at Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia

10. Bake Pizza Rolls. Mix chopped tomatoes, scallions, peppers, mushrooms, lean ham, reduced-fat shredded cheese, crushed garlic and dried oregano. Spread no-salt-added tomato paste onto wrappers and top with a spoonful of pizza filling. Fold into an egg roll shape, spritz with cooking spray, and bake on a pan coated with spray until browned. -- Annette Sym, author of the Simply Too Good to Be Ture low-fat cookbook series

All recipes found on pages 143-145 of the special September 2009 issue of Prevention Magazine.