butternut squash + kale quesadillas

It's hilarious to me that I'm writing about a recipe that I (successfully) cooked. The good news is that since I'm a complete and utter novice at this, if I can cook it...you can definitely cook it. So cheers to that!

I pinned this recipe from the Pioneer Woman, and y'all, she is GREAT at posting lots of detailed pics for an audience like me that a) didn't know what a butternut squash as a whole looked like before 1 week ago b) looked at the butternut squash and thought, "How the heck do I cut this thing?"

Without further ado...butternut squash and kale quesadillas!

I served ours with organic sweet potatoes. All they need is some cumin, pepper, butter (for Mark) or salsa verde (for me).

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 whole wheat tortillas
Cheese
1 butternut squash
Kale
Butter
Chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste (optional - I left out the salt in ours)
Salsa + sour cream (also optional :))

Directions

Peel, cut, and dice the butternut squash. I studied every picture posted in this link to do this. 

Add butter and olive oil to a skillet then pile on your diced squash. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper to your liking. Mix together and cook on high heat until the squash is a "nice and deep golden brown." Then empty that well-cooked squash onto a plate and forget about it for a few minutes. :)

Grab your kale (2-3 handfuls), remove any big stalks, and throw it into the same skillet you were just using on medium-high heat. Add more butter/olive oil if needed. Kale doesn't wither up like spinach, so don't expect that! :)

After the kale cooks and crisps for a few minutes, you can turn off the heat (or just keep it on low) and add the squash back to the skillet.

In a pan with butter (I used olive oil spray instead) toss in one tortilla at a time. I love how The Pioneer Woman suggested letting each side of each individual the tortilla warm up in the pan to help with the cheese melting process. Clutch.

Choose how much cheese you want...I prepared mine vs. Mark's just a teensy bit differently:

These are mine: I only added cheese to one tortilla.

And these are Marky's: cheese on both tortillas. :)

 
Finally, sprinkle on you cheese and add the kale and + butternut squash. Let that melty goodness happen, flip, cut into 4 slices and voilà! You've got yourself a butternut squash and kale quesadilla. Serve with salsa and/or sour cream. Woohoo!