Sunday, December 11, 2011

Gameday Fiesta Tortilla Spirals...Featuring Red Gold Tomatoes

Happy Sunday...like many other households around the country, it's gameday at Casa Garcia. Our Houston Texans will make the playoffs for the first time ever if they win today (and the Saints beat the Titans). We'll hang out in front of the TV cheering for the team...and eating some yummy gameday snacks. The Weekend Gourmet is currently taking part in a cool contest sponsored by Red Gold Tomatoes...they're going to pick seven food bloggers from around the country to fly to Indianapolis Super Bowl weekend to attend Taste of the NFL. That's a charity food and wine tasting event featuring NFL players, celebrity chefs, and lots of fun entertainment! The funds raised at the event will provide money to food banks in all 32 football markets.

I wanted to use Red Gold Mexican Fiesta diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime in a yummy, fun finger food...and it had to be something quick and easy to boot! I combined cream cheese, the tomatoes, spices, cheese, and jalapeno...then spread the mixture on spinach tortillas/wraps, rolled up, and sliced. The entire dish comes together in less than 15 minutes a few hours before your party. I found that hanging out in the fridge for a bit not only lets the flavors combine well, but it also makes for much easier slicing when you're ready to serve.

Gameday Fiesta Tortilla Spirals
adapted from the Red Gold website

Step 1:  Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl: 1 packaged softened cream cheese, 1 cup Red Gold Mexican Fiesta petite diced tomatoes (drained), 1 finely chopped seeded jalapeno, 1 cup shredded co-jack cheese, the juice of half a lime, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. dried cilantro.


Step 2:  Stir well to combine...if your cream cheese is soft enough, a sturdy spoon works great! Spread 1/3 of the mixture onto three spinach tortillas/wraps. Roll up tightly and place on a plate. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours...overnight is best if you have the time.


Step 3:  When you're ready to serve, use a sharp serrated knife to cut each roll into 1/2-inch spirals. You should be able to get between 7-8 spirals from each roll. A serrated knife and well-chilled rolls are essential to getting the prettiest spirals. Place the spirals on a serving plate...and watch them disappear. By the way? Then end pieces make great "quality control" samples!


These little bites are really good...they're creamy and a bit spicy thanks to the cilantro and jalapeno! The lime in the tomatoes plus the added lime juice give it a bright flavor boost as well. As an added bonus, these are good to have on hand for any vegetarians who might be attending your party. The red and green color scheme also makes this appetizer holiday-friendly to boot. To shave a bit of fat and calories, feel free to sub in low-fat cream cheese and co-jack. 

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