Beets and Greens Quesadillas

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

I have been lacking inspiration this week so I am thankful that my neighbor, Lynda, saw me picking beets from my garden yesterday. She immediately recommended Beets and Greens Quesadillas. This dish has gone over like gangbusters the few times she has prepared it for her family. This was encouraging, since she has an 8-year old and a 6-year old. If they like the quesadillas, I would place bets that Olivia would like them as well. I absolutely love beets so I was confident that the recipe would suit me. Beets with cheese....... what isn't to like? Lynda e-mailed the recipe and wouldn't you know; it is from a vegetarian cookbook that I already own by a Seattle author named Kim O'Donnel. This was a no-brainer as a choice for one of this week's recipes.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly

1 unpeeled beet, sliced very thinly

1 bunch (4 to 5 cups) beet greens and/or chard, chopped finely

1 tsp chili powder, mild or hot

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp water

cooking spray

6 (8-inch) or 3 (10-inch) tortillas (whole wheat, spinach or tomato are recommended; I used wheat)

1 heaping cup Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

As a side note, other vegetable options for this recipe include one small zucchini, 1 cup green cabbage, carrot rounds, Lacinato kale, sliced mushrooms and/or parsnips.

Heat oil in 10-inch or 12-inch skillet. Add onion and beet and cook over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes, stirring often. Add greens, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and water; stir until spices and salt are well distributed. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and all water has evaporated.

Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl, then wash and dry skillet. Heat clean skillet over medium-low heat and grease lightly with cooking spray (I use Canola oil and a pastry brush to coat pan instead of using cooking spray). Lay tortilla in pan, then spread about 2 Tbsp of cheese over half of tortilla. Cover cheese with 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of cooked vegetables. Spread another tablespoon of cheese over vegetables, then fold tortillas in half and flip it with spatula. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until tortillas is nicely browned and cheese is melted through.

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese and vegetables. Cut each quesadilla into four wedges with knife or pizza cutter. Makes 6 servings. Quesadillas can be assembled in advance and reheated within 24 hours.

This recipe was absolutely delicious! The array of spices seemed simple but when combined, they were rich, flavorful and complimented the bitterness of the beet greens. The beets were juicy and sweet and the recipe called for just the right amount of cheese. I am probably most excited about the fact that this recipe introduced me to a new way of cooking beets. I have only roasted them in the oven up until now, but I learned tonight that slicing them thin for sauteing worked beautifully. I can envision sauteing beets as a dinner side dish; just as I would saute zucchini or any other vegetable. Yay! A new way to use my garden beets! I would either serve this quesadilla for lunch or as a main dish with a crisp green salad on the side.