Beet, Kale and Swiss Chard Quesadillas

Ballard is one of our favorite neighborhoods in the city. The streets are lined with funky clothing, toy and book shops, coffee houses, tea stalls and many of the city’s famously popular restaurants. It was at a farmers market in Ballard, when we first moved to Seattle, that we first tasted this delectable quesadilla…

One Sunday afternoon after filling our bags with produce we stumbled onto a food stall: Patty Pan Grill… A quesadilla with Beets? Chard? Kale? Oh boy…was this really going to taste good?  Is this what they consider a quesadilla in the Pacific Northwest?  Honestly at first it sounded a bit peculiar, but the line was about a mile long so we decided to give it a try. YUM is an understatement. It was sooo good that we now make it at home at least once a month.  And, yes, our kids love it too.

If you are at all skeptical, one bite will change your mind…

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large beets, thinly sliced
3 cups red or green chard, roughly chopped
3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
4 large flour tortillas
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

In a medium saucepan add 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the beets and let cook for about 3 minutes until soft. Add the chard, kale, chili powder, cumin and salt. Continue cooking until greens are cooked down and all veggies are caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble and cook:

Pre-heat a griddle to medium high heat. On a cutting board, brush one side of tortilla with olive oil. Flip tortilla and on one-half sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese and a handful of the beet and greens mixture.

Fold and place on pan. Let cook until golden brown. Flip and do the same on other side. Move to a cutting board and with a pizza cutter cut into thirds.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa or your choice of condiments or sides… Enjoy!