After a month-and-a-half of making summertime snacks for gaggles of kids, I was running short on ideas. I find it SUPER interesting as a parent that my kids are willing to branch out when it comes to tastes while their friends are around. Those friends are also always willing to try anything I make. I’m pretty sure my own boys are the same way when they visit someone else’s home. Why is that? They are so much braver under the watchful eye of their friends.
It’s a typical afternoon when the calls from our downstairs game room begin. As usual, a snack to feed a bunch of hungry mouths is requested. “Mom please. we’re starving!!!”
Since I have been exploring the “smokey taco fillings” culinary trend over the past year, I thought I would try something with that flavor profile on the boys. I had a refrigerator full of Sargento Pepper Jack Snack Sticks. Made with jalapeno and Habanero peppers, it’s the perfect smokey tasting snack, with a little heat in every bite.
I wanted to serve a more kid-friendly, easy to eat taco (a.k.a. ~ not so messy) that was ready to go when it arrived downstairs. Using the snack sticks not only saved me time, but worked well in helping to mimic the whole “soft taco” idea.
A fresh tasting dipping sauce with a little smokey taste also helped elevate this snack from plain to phenomenal. The kids went crazy for it.
To get the tortillas to roll without cracking, I had to fry them for about 30 seconds each. Placing them close together on the baking sheet ensured they would stay closed during the cheese melting process in the oven.
How many could you eat?
Smokey Soft Taco Roll-Ups with Avocado-Garlic Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 avocados
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 juice of one lime
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
Soft Tacos:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 12 corn tortillas
- One package Sargento Pepper Jack Snack Sticks (12 in a package)
Directions
- In a medium bowl, scoop out avocado flesh and mash with a fork. Add sour cream, lime, garlic, chipotle chili powder and salt and mix until smooth. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small frying pan over med-low heat, add vegetable oil and heat to frying temperature. Fry each tortilla 15 seconds on each side, leaving flat. Remove from oil and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with other tortillas.
- Roll one pepper jack snack stick tightly in every tortilla. Place on a rimmed baking with each one right next to the other, this way they won't open up. Bake for 5-7 minutes until cheese starts to melt out the sides.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
This has become a new favorite snack in my household. If Pepper Jack is not your thing, Sargento has many flavors I’m sure would rock your world.
Disclosure: While this content has been made possible by Sargento, as always all opinions are my own.
