Beets and Greens Quesadillas

This is the quesadilla that I made with the roasted red pepper soup.  I think they go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Pepper soup and beet quesadillas.  Totally.

Okay now I know this sounds weird but it was so good!  The beets have lots of flavor on their own and from the spices, and the caramelized onions and melted cheese perfect the deal.  Plus, you get to use both the beet and the greens, so you're really getting your money's worth out of them.  They're super quick to throw together, too, so it's a good weeknight meal idea.  They kind of freaked Jesse out a bit (he now knows he doesn't like beets), but I ate every leftover quesadilla until they were gone.

beets and greens quesadillas
from The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook by Kim O'Donnel
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 medium-sized onion, sliced thinly
1 unpeeled beet, sliced very thinly
1 bunch (4 to 5 cups) beet greens and/or chard, chopped finely
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
cooking spray
6 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
1 heaping cup grated monterey jack cheese

Instructions:

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion and beet, and cook over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes, stirring often

2) Add the greens, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and water, and stir until the spices and salt are well distributed.  Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and all the water has evaporated.

3) Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl, then wash and dry the skillet.  Heat the clean skillet over medium-low heat and grease lightly with cooking spray.

4) Lay tortilla in the pan, and spread about 2 tablespoons of cheese over half of the tortilla.  Cover the cheese with 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the cooked vegetables.  Spread another tablespoon of cheese over the vegetables, and then fold the tortilla in half and flip it with a spatula.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until the tortilla is nicely browned and the cheese is melted through.

5) Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and vegetables.  Cut each quesadilla into four wedges with a knife or pizza cutter.