SWEET POTATO AND KALE QUESADILLAS
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
These quick and easy quesadillas will satisfy everyone at your table. These quesadillas can be made for lunch or an afternoon snack. The black beans, kale, and sweet potatoes are nutrient rich and also provides a lot of protein. Kids and adults alike will love this tasty and satisfying vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
1/2 lb of sweet potatoes (either white or yellow/orange flesh variety works. The yellow/orange flesh variety are richer in beta-carotene)
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil divided
1 1/2 teaspoons of smoky chipotle taco seasoning (any of your favorite taco season will work)
1 teaspoon of sea salt divided
1 cup of chopped kale
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack works great too
1/2 cup of canned black beans drained
4 large flour tortillas
Optional ingredients for serving quesadillas
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Salsa
Slices of avocado
Guacomole
Hot sauce
Preparation
Arrange a rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Dice the sweet potatoes into small cubes (you don’t have to peel the sweet potatoes. The skin of a sweet potato is edible. The skin will add more fiber and potassium to the quesadillas).
Toss the sweet potatoes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with chipotle taco seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Place the sweet potatoes single layer on a rimmed baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft (This can be done up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated prior to making quesadillas).
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, chop kale into nice thin 1/4 inch strips.
Toss the kale with lime juice and gently massage with your hands. Let rest so the kale will soften for about 15 minutes .
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven after roasting and let cool enough to handle .
Place a 12 inch skillet on medium heat, and add half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil .
Assemble the quesadilla by placing the tortilla in the pan add about 1/4 cup of cheese, layer on half the black beans, half of the roasted sweet potatoes, half of the kale, another 1/4 cup of cheese, and topped with another tortilla.
Watch carefully for the cheese to melt. You can use a spatula to push down on the top of the quesadilla to make sure the layers adhere together. Let it get toasty for about 4-5 minutes. You can use a spatula to lift one edge of the quesadilla to check for how well the bottom is browning (if the quesadilla is browning too quickly, and cheese isn’t melting quick enough, lower the temperature of the stove top).
Once cheese is melted to the bottom tortilla, carefully but quickly flip the quesadilla and it let cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Remove the quesadilla and repeat process with the remaining ingredients.
Cut the quesadilla to desired pieces and serve with your favorite sides.
To learn more about sweet potatoes, click here!