Thanks, Bruce Cole, these quesadillas are extra delicious!
Here’s how to make them:
For the Kale and Quinoa Salad
1 bunch kale, rinsed and dried
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 red onion, diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Preparation Cut kale into thin strips no bigger than 1/4 inch thick. Toss kale strips in a large bowl with 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt, squeezing and massaging the greens for at least 30 seconds. *This breaks down the cell membranes and helps to absorb the salt. In a separate bowl, stir the lemon juice with the salt until it dissolves. Put the red onions in a colander and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Add the warm onions to the lemon juice and toss well to combine. Add the diced bell pepper to the kale leaves. Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry pan over medium heat. Once they start to change color, add the kale leaves. Rinse 1/4 cup of dry quinoa, add 2 cups of boiling water to quinoa and cook. Once cooked, add quinoa to the kale. Add the olive oil to the bowl of red onions and lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Add the lemon juice/olive oil vinaigrette to the bowl with the kale and other ingredients. Toss well until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt.
For the Quesadillas
Canola oil
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
Hot sauce for garnish
Preparation
Add one teaspoon of oil to sauté/ fry pan and swirl to coat it. Add one tortilla to the pan and press down firmly so it absorbs some of the oil and begins to fry. Spread a couple tablespoons of cheese over the tortilla and then spoon a good amount of the kale salad on top of the cheese. Cook for a couple minutes until the tortilla begins to crisp and top with another tortilla and carefully flip the quesadilla over. Remove quesadilla from pan, pat dry any excess oil with paper towels and set aside on cutting board. Stir the sour cream together quickly to loosen and stir in some hot sauce. Spoon the sour cream into a plastic bag and twist the end shut. Snip the corn of the plastic bag and squeeze in streaks across the top of the sliced quesadillas and serve.
We had to make one extra cheese monster, too..
