Butternut Squash & Kale Quesadillas

You can use any winter squash (butternut is my favorite, but acorn or spaghetti squash will work here too) and any sturdy green (kale, spinach, collards, chard, beet greens).

This recipe is my version of this one from Pioneer Woman. 

Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4-6

1 small winter squash, cut in half, seeds removed
2-3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 c dried white or black beans, soaked and cooked (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1 bunch greens, stems removed, leaves chopped
8 tortillas (I use Tortilla Land from the store if I don't have time to make them; otherwise, make them from sourdough discard or without a sourdough starter)
Monterey Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lettuce, chopped
Sour cream, salsa, guacamole, chopped avocados, and/or chopped tomatoes for garnish

Heat the oven to 400F. Place the squash cut-sides-down on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, until it is soft enough to peel easily. Alternately, microwave for 3-5 minutes.

To use kale, beet greens, collard greens, or chard in the quesadillas, blanch the leaves in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes to remove any bitterness from the leaves. Drain and set aside. Spinach does not need to be blanched. Lacinato kale (also called black kale) does not need to be blanched.

Remove the squash from the oven, peel it, and cut into bite-sized cubes. Turn the oven to the broiler setting with the rack 4 inches from the heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter. Add the spices and toast them slightly, just until fragrant. Add the squash cubes, beans, and greens. Cook until the squash and greens are tender. Add additional butter if the pan gets too dry.

Taste the filling and add additional seasoning if necessary.

Place tortillas on the baking sheet, as many as will fit. Grate cheese over each and add a sprinkle of cilantro. Add about a half cup of the squash filling and a tablespoon of salsa. Place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, until cheese is starting to melt. 

Meanwhile, smear some sour cream on the tortilla tops. Remove the pan from the oven and place the tops, sour cream side down, on top of each quesadilla. Put them under the broiler for another 2 minutes, until the top tortilla is lightly browned. Remove the pan, flip the quesadillas, and broil another 2-4 minutes, until the tortilla is lightly browned and the cheese is melted. 

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and use a pizza wheel to cut the quesadillas into halves or quarters. Garnish with additional cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Roasted Chicken Breasts, Steamed Green Beans & Cauliflower

Tonight's vegetables were selected because of what I had on hand. This chicken is amazing and would go well with any vegetables. The sauce would particularly lend itself to mashed potatoes. The meal was delicious with beans, carrots, and cauliflower too. I had leftover cubed, roasted butternut squash to which I added a chopped zucchini and put into the oven while the sauce simmered.

Overview

I used a recipe for Chicken Breasts with Classic French Pan Sauce from Cooking Light Magazine. The recipe calls for bone-in chicken breast halves, which roast with more flavor than boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can substitute boneless skinless, just make sure to watch them while they are in the oven. They'll cook much faster then bone-in. I did not use any flour in the sauce. It wasn't necessary.

Once the chicken is in the oven, you will get a pot ready for cooking the frozen vegetables. I had a bag of cauliflower and a mixed bag containing green beans, wax beans, and baby carrots. Then get the squash and zucchini in a baking dish ready to go into the oven as soon as the chicken comes out.

Have a platter and a large piece of aluminum foil handy for when the chicken is done. You'll be moving the chicken from the oven to this platter and covering it with foil to rest while making the sauce in the pan the chicken just vacated. 

60 minutes before serving

Begin step one of the chicken recipe linked.

30 minutes before serving

Put a pot of water on the stove with a steaming basket and lid. Don't turn the stove top on yet. This will be for the frozen vegetables. I used about half of a one-pound bag of cauliflower and the whole one-pound mixed snap bean and baby carrot bag for two adults and two small children. 

Chop the zucchini and put it in a baking dish. Add the cubed, roasted butternut squash. Toss with one or two teaspoons of olive oil. There should be a very light coating, but not so much oil that the vegetables are drenched. Sprinkle a two-finger pinch of salt and about one teaspoon of dried rosemary.

10 minutes before serving

Turn the burner with the pot of water on high. When the water is boiling, add the cauliflower. One minute later, add the mixed bag. If you are using different frozen vegetables, check the back of the bags for the recommended cooking time. I added the cauliflower one minute sooner so that all the vegetables could be cooked together and be al dente at the same time. Set aside a large bowl into which you can pour the cooked vegetables. Put about one tablespoon of butter, one clove of minced or crushed garlic, and a 2-finger pinch of salt into the bowl.

Now prepare yourself for a flurry of activity.

Get your platter and foil handy. Remove the chicken from the oven and put the pieces on the platter. Cover with foil. Put the pan on the stove top and add the wine. Now put the dish of squash in the oven and turn the heat up to 400 F. Check your steamer basket. If the vegetables are done (either eat one or stick a fork in one to check), turn off that burner and dump the steaming basket the large bowl. Return your attention to the sauce. Add the Dijon and the cream. Whisk to combine. 

Take a moment to toss the dish of steamed vegetables with the butter and seasonings you put in the bowl ahead of time. Just don't take too long about it -- get back to whisking the sauce so it doesn't scorch.

When the sauce thickens, take it off the heat. Take the squash out of the oven and give it a stir. Serve the sauce over the chicken with plenty of vegetables. You can even top the vegetables with a bit of sauce.

Food Chat

Doesn't putting butter on the vegetables defeat the purpose of eating them? 

Not at all, for several reasons. Butter helps your body absorb nutrients better. So eating plain vegetables will not net you as many nutrients as it will if you ate them with a pat of butter. Food is more than the sum of its nutritional qualities. 

Another good reason to add butter is that it makes vegetables infinitely more tasty. Adding a sprinkle of salt is not going to do more good because of the added taste too. When you add the salt, the food will taste disgustingly salty long before you are consuming so much salt that it is a problem. 

Look at the flip side: You think you should steam vegetables and leave them plain in case that is healthier. But that is not tasty and it is quite boring. So you opt for a packaged side dish instead, like a bag of broccoli cheddar rice. It has broccoli in it (sort of) and it is tasty (sort of). A mere half cup of that packaged side dish has over a quarter of your daily recommended limit of sodium. It also contains just under five times the calories in just half a cup compared to a whole cup of the buttered salted vegetables we made tonight. 

Another issue with a packaged side dish is the ingredient list. Many packaged options have 20 or more ingredients! What are all those things you are eating? Is it even food!? 

So even if you have a hard time with the idea of butter being good for you, at least recognize that eating any vegetable is far, far better for you than a processed, packaged option. 

If you do need to watch your salt intake, then by all means leave out the salt and add other seasonings instead. Using fresh or dried garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, or any other seasoning adds amazing flavors with none of the sodium. Plus these are leaves and so they carry nutritional value on their own. You are adding flavor and nutrients to your dishes when you cook with herbs and spices. Why would anyone settle for over-salted under-nourishing packaged sides?