Week 4 Recipe: Spicy Collard Green Quesadillas

Spicy Collard Green Quesadillas by Chef Liz Arraj

Serves 4

2 bunches of collards, de-stemmed and chiffonade
2 TBSP. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. curry powder
Freshly squeezed juice of one orange
Salt to taste
Tortillas
Pepper Jack cheese


1. In a large pot, boil water. Add chiffonade pieces of collards and cook uncovered for about 8 minutes.
2. Set up a bowl of ice water while waiting for the collards to cook. Take the collard pieces and plunge into ice cold water, stopping the cooking process and keeping the color bright green. Gently press water out of greens.
3. In pan add olive oil and sauté garlic for one minutes. Add freshly squeezed orange juice, curry powder and salt to taste. Sauté lightly and set aside on plate.
4. Prepare your tortilla with cheese and greens and slowly fry quesadilla in pan until golden brown on each side. Serve with your choice of salsa, sour cream and avocado.


Tasty Tip:
Anytime you want to retain the bright colors of  your vegetables, simply boil some water, have ice water waiting in a bowl. Toss your veggies in the hot water and then plunge them into ice water. Using this method only slightly cooks the veggie and by putting them in cold water, it stops the cooking process but allows you to maintain the color of your food. This is called parboiling.