Butternut Squash and Kale Quesadillas

If you are are looking for a delicious and filling lunch or dinner, try these butternut squash and kale quesadillas.  They pair excellently with our favorite roasted tomato soup.

Butternut Squash and Kale Quesadillas

Ingredients

• 1/2 T butter
• 1/2 T olive oil
• 4 C diced butternut squash
• 8 tortillas
• 4 C kale pieces, washed and trimmed
• Paprika, salt and pepper, to taste
• Havarti cheese, or Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (4-6 oz)

Directions

Begin by melting the butter in a large skillet.  Then, add in the olive oil and butternut squash, sautéing the butternut squash cubes for 5-7 minutes.  Season generously with paprika, salt and pepper. 

Cook until the butternut squash cubes are tender.  Then, remove and place in a bowl, setting aside for a few minutes.  To the same skillet, add the kale.  Spritz lightly with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.  You may add garlic powder too, if you are interested. 

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the kale from burning.  Kale will not really “wilt” like spinach or other greens will, but it will get crunchy.  After 5 minutes, add back in the butternut squash and sauté 1-2 more minutes.  Turn the heat off and head to the griddle. 

On the griddle, heat the tortillas and layer shredded cheese, butternut squash and kale mixture on top.  Then, place a second tortilla on the top of the filling.  Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the tortillas are crispy and lightly browned.  

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pockets with Kale, Sausage & Lentils

A perfect fall twist on the beloved hot pocket. 

I first saw this recipe on Natalie’s blog and really like the idea of putting sweet potatoes and lentils with kale in a calzone.  But, Frog Prince and I aren’t a big fan of some of the spices in the original recipe. 

So, I set to work and decided to put one of our favorite fillings inside the pockets – the filling from our sweet potato risotto.  Oh. My. Goodness.

These were a huge hit!

Sweet Potato Pockets with Kale, Sausage & Lentils – Inspired by The Sweets Life

Ingredients

• 1 recipe whole wheat pizza crust
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4-6oz baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 T minced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 C frozen chopped kale
• 1/2 C lentils, soaked
• 1/2 lb. Italian sausage
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

Begin by making the pizza crust dough, and when finished, set aside, covered. 

Next, boil your lentils.  To do so, first drain the water they have been soaking in.  Then, place the lentils in a saucepan, cover them with water and season with salt.  Turn the burner on to high and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, brown the ground Italian sausage.  Drain excess grease when the meat is cooked, and remove the sausage from the pan into a large bowl.

In the same skillet, add the cubed sweet potato, sliced mushrooms, garlic, onion and salt and pepper.  Sauté about 10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are slightly soft and the mushrooms have released all their liquids. 

Add in 1 C frozen chopped kale and heat until wilted.

Then, mix in the cooked and drained lentils. 

Remove the mixture and add it to the large bowl with the Italian sausage.  Stir until the mixture is combined. 

Divide the bread dough into 6-8 pieces, and roll each out into a small (4-6 inches across) circle. 

Place a scoop (about 1 C) of the sausage lentil filling onto one half of the dough.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Grab a small cup and put an inch or so of water in it.  Dip your fingers in the water and then dab them along the edge of the dough.  Bring the top half over to cover the filling.  Press tightly along the wet edges to seal.  Crimp with a fork, if desired.  Note – it works best to do this right on the greased/lined cookie sheet you are planning to bake these pockets on. 

Repeat until all pockets are filled. 

Using a knife, slice a little slit in the top of each pocket.  

Place into a pre-heated oven set to 425 degrees.  Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and puffy. 

Enjoy!

Pasta with Kale & Roasted Tomatoes

This is a simple weeknight dinner filled with veggies and delicious flavor. 

It’s ready in less than 30 minutes to boot!

We really enjoyed the combination of the roasted tomatoes with the peas, kale and pasta. I think you will too!

Pasta with Kale & Roasted Tomatoes – Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 2 C spiral pasta, uncooked 
• 1 C frozen peas
• 2.5 C frozen chopped kale
• 1 medium chicken breast, cooked and diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1/2 C half and half
• 1/4 C reserved pasta water
• 1/3 C Parmesan cheese
• 10-20 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved & roasted

Directions

Begin by cooking pasta according to directions; add peas in the last 3 minutes of boiling.  Drain (reserving up to 1/2 C pasta water) and set aside.

Meanwhile, sauté 1 minced garlic clove, with 1 medium cooked and diced chicken breast in a large skillet for 2-3 minutes. 

Add in 2.5 C chopped kale and sauté until kale is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. 

Add in 1/2 C broth along with 1/2 C half and half and reduce heat to a simmer, simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove from the heat and stir in pasta, peas, roasted tomatoes.

Then add Parmesan cheese. 

If the dish seems a little dry, add up to 1/4 C reserved pasta water.

Serve warm.

Sweet Potato & Kale Chicken Patties

I think we’ve found a new summer favorite.  These Sweet Potato Chicken Patties with Kale are fantastic. 

They are filling enough on their own, but great on a whole wheat bun too.  The first time we made them I followed the directions pretty closely, but the second time I decided to shred the sweet potato and loved the results. 

We also used shredded canned chicken rather than raw ground chicken to make the prep easier.  We do this for our zucchini burgers, and it worked really well here.  It also decreased the prep time to about 20 minutes, rather than 4 hours.   

Sweet Potato & Kale Chicken Patties – Adapted from Multiply Delicious

Ingredients

• 1 can (12 oz) chicken
• 1 small sweet potato
• 2 1/2 C torn kale leaves
• 1 T minced onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• salt & pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 T spicy brown mustard
• Pinch of paprika
• 2 T white whole wheat flour
• Olive oil

Directions

Begin by shredding 1 small (peeled) sweet potato.  We cooked ours in the microwave for 1 minute before to make the potato easier to shred.  Add the shredded sweet potato to a skillet.  Add in torn kale. 

Sauté with a little olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, 1 T minced onion and 1 tsp. minced garlic.  Cook for 5-6 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and kale is semi-wilted. 

Meanwhile, mix together 1 can shredded chicken (drained and rinsed), with 1 egg and 2 T white whole wheat flour. 

Add in the kale and spinach mixture, a pinch of paprika and 1 T spicy brown mustard. 

Using a patty maker, or your hands, press the kale mixture into patties.  Ours made about five 3-4inch patties. 

Return to a lightly greased pan and cook on medium-low for 5 minutes.  Then, flip. 

Cook for another 5 minutes.  Then, plate and serve warm. 

Enjoy!

Mushroom & Kale Stroganoff

Honestly, until a few weeks ago, I had never cooked a dish with kale.  I’ve made kale chips before (get that recipe here), and they are amazing, but I’d never used kale in a main dish.  Why did I wait so long? 

This mushroom & kale stroganoff is fantastic.  Kale, unlike spinach, really keeps some of it’s structure when cooked, so it wilts but doesn’t become slimy like spinach can. 

Give this one a go – you won’t even miss the meat. 

Mushroom & Kale Stroganoff – Adapted from Bev Cooks

Ingredients

• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced 
• 3 C chopped kale
• 2 T minced onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 C chicken stock or white wine
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 T white whole wheat flour
• Paprika, salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 C Greek Yogurt (plain)
• 8 oz (about 1/2 bag) whole wheat egg noodles

Directions

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside. 

Meanwhile, sauté your sliced bella mushrooms in a skillet.  Perhaps you’ll need to add 1 tsp. of olive oil if you typically need olive oil to sauté. 

When liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, add in 2 T minced onion, 1 tsp. minced garlic, and 1 T white whole wheat flour. 

Slowly add in 1 C chicken stock (or white wine), stirring constantly to incorporate the flour. 

Add in 2 T soy sauce and 2 T tomato paste.  Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. 

Add in kale and simmer for 5-10 more minutes until kale is wilted.  Remove from the heat.

Stir in 1/2 (up to 3/4 C) plain, Greek yogurt. 

Stir in pasta.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!