Kale Quesadillas

I recently bought a huge bag of Kale to use for another recipe and had a ton left over. Is there a reason they only sell kale in large bags at my store? I feel like I'm missing something. :-) Anyway, I have not been successful with kale chips so I wanted to find another way to use what I had. When making my lists every week, I try to first look at what I have in my kitchen that needs to be used and go from there. It's a great way to reduce waste of food and waste of money. 

 The mixture. I added black beans to the recipe.

 I did this on the stove top and then placed them in the oven to crisp them up a bit.

With a little bit of salsa on top, it makes a perfect meal. One quesadilla is quite filling.

Salt

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for the quesadillas

1 onion, quartered and sliced (I probably used a quarter or so of a large white onion and it was enough.)

8 medium whole wheat tortillas

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Optional toppings: salsa, refried beans, sour cream

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the kale. Boil, uncovered, until just tender but still emerald green, about 4 minutes or so. Drain and let cool. Squeeze out the excess liquid, then chop the kale.

2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chopped kale and sauté for 2 more minutes. I sprinkled a little bit of cumin, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika.

3. Heat a griddle or heavy pan over medium heat. Brush with olive oil and add a tortilla. Top with ½ cup each of cheese and the kale mixture, followed by another tortilla. Cook the quesadilla until the cheese is molten and the tortillas are crisp and browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a board and let cool slightly before slicing into wedges.

4. Repeat the process to make a total of four quesadillas. Serve with salsa and beans if desired.

*This recipe tasted great. It just needed a little sprinkle of some additional seasoning and I felt it could use more cheese. Definite do again though!

Enjoy!

Recipe found at http://www.fitpregnancy.com/nutrition/recipes/kale-quesadillas.

Spinach Risotto with Peas

I love Pinterest. Every week I sit and try to figure out what to make and I like how it's all just there, in one place, saved for me to easily go back to or to search for and add.  I still had a decent amount of Arborio rice from the last time I made risotto so I figured I'd give it a go and try risotto again. This recipe came out great and while the kids didn't eat a ton of it, they did eat a good amount. It got two thumbs up from my husband and myself though so I will definitely make this again.

Ingredients.

 While you cook the rice, you can cut up the spinach.

INGREDIENTS

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

1 bunch (8 to 10 ounces) flat-leaf spinach, trimmed, cleaned, dried, and finely chopped

1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

(optional) 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

In a small saucepan, combine broth with 2 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

STEP 2

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally,  until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

STEP 3

Add rice; cook, stirring, until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine (or alternative liquid); cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.

STEP 4

Add 2 cups of hot broth mixture; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue adding broth mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring occasionally, until rice is just tender and creamy with a little liquid remaining in the pan, 20 to 25 minutes total (you may not need all the broth mixture). I used maybe 3 cups total of the broth mixture. Cooking times are going to vary  when it comes to the absorption of the liquid. I really shouldn't take more than the 25 minutes total the original recipe says.

STEP 5

Stir in spinach (in handfuls), peas, Parmesan, and butter; cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, with more Parmesan, if desired.

**I noticed after I put the spinach in that it needed a little extra liquid so I poured just a little bit of the broth mixture in.

**Instead of the white wine, I replaced it with broth. From what I was reading, you can replace the white wine with water or broth.

Another healthy and delicious recipe added to the list.  Enjoy!