Two of my new favorite things - kale and quesadillas

I recently read a suggestion for a different way to cook kale that has immensely increased my appreciation for this green.  Take a kale leaf, cut out the stalk, then cut the leaves into strips about 1/4 inch wide, cutting across the leaf.  You can then saute the dry kale in a little oil over a medium high - high heat.  The kale will soften and decrease in volume, but not quite wilt and it's not "wet" like other greens get.  I like to throw a clove or two of finely chopped garlic in with the kale and get the best results when I sprinkle it with a little salt as it sautes.  After that there's a lot you can do with it.  My favorites are 1) just eat it.  2) put it in a tortilla with some sharp cheddar to make a kale quesadilla.  Trust me, the cheddar and the kale are GREAT together.  (more on that later) 3) I made up a pasta topping with it for lunch for Aleks, Suzie, and me the other day, and it got great reviews.  Here's what I did:

~1/3 c thinly sliced red pepper, cut into 1 inch long pieces
~1 small-medium bunch of kale, stems removed, sliced into 1/4" strips - - probably about 6 cups of chopped kale
garlic
~3/4-1+ c of cooked white beans - more or less depending on how much protein you want
lemon juice - a few shakes from the bottle, probably ~1-2 T
~2 T cream
~1/4 c grated parmesan
Pasta

Heat some oil in a pan, then add red pepper and saute while you cut the garlic and kale.  When the pepper is starting to get a little soft, add the kale and garlic, along with a bit of salt.  Saute, stirring, until the kale turns bright green.  Add the white beans and let them heat up as the kale finishes cooking.  Add the lemon juice and stir to distribute.  When the kale is finished cooking add the cream and parmesan, stir, then serve over top of pasta.


My other new favorite thing is veggie quesadillas of every kind and flavor.  We get blocks of a decent sharp cheddar for <$4/pound at CostCo, so we've always got it hanging around.  I like to mix it with a bit of monteray jack.  I've already mentioned the kale quesadillas I've been making.  For lunch today I made one using leftover cauliflower that I'd topped with toasted pecans and garlic for dinner last night, and cheddar.  I stayed with the theme and made another one tonight using a few big handfuls of arugula wilted in the microwave, a few strips of steak from last night, ~1/4 red pepper cut into very thin strips and sauteed a bit, a touch of chipotle pepper, and my go-to cheddar/mont.jack mix. At the end I added ~1/4 avocado cut into slices.  It was about an inch thick, mostly veggies and oh man, was it ever good!  These aren't as cheesy as your typical unhealthy quesadilla, but still satisfy my (apparently constant) craving for cheese.

What's your favorite quesadilla filling...?

-Maggie