Football Fest Empanadas
Ingredients:
- 1 jar (16 oz.) black bean and corn salsa
- ½ cup frozen corn, thawed
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
- 3 tbs. minced fresh cilantro, divided
- 2 tbs. lime juice
- 1 pkg. (9 oz.) ready to use Southwestern chicken strips, chopped
- 2 pkg. (14.1 oz. – each) refrigerated pie pastry
- 4 oz. quesadilla cheese, shredded
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions: In a large bowl, combine the salsa, corn, jalapenos, 2 tablespoons cilantro and ½ cup salsa mixture; set aside. Reserve remaining salsa for serving. Unroll a pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured 4-in. round cookie cutter placed halfway on the edge of pastry, cut 4-in. x 3-in. football shapes. Repeat with remaining dough, chilling and rerolling scraps as needed. Transfer half of the cutouts to greased baking sheets. Place 1 tablespoon chicken mixture in the center of each; top each with 1 ½ teaspoons cheese. Brush edges with a fork to seal. Cut slits in the tops to resemble football laces. Brush tops with egg. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with reserved salsa mixture. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen.
