Ingredients
- 1 pound Foxhollow Farm ground beef
- 8 medium or 12 small flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup diced carrots
- ¾ cup diced zucchini
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 large or 2 small jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, minced
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lime
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 pint local cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
- 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- ½ lime
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- ½ lime
- Pinch kosher salt
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
PICO DE GALLO:
Chop the cherry tomatoes into small pieces. Place in a bowl along with onion, jalapeño, cilantro, juice from ½ lime and salt. Toss to combine and taste for seasoning, adjusting to your taste. Set aside for flavors to meld while you prepare the quesadillas.
CILANTRO-LIME-SOUR CREAM:
Place sour cream, cilantro, juice from ½ lime, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to blend, combining until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste. Set aside for flavors to meld while you prepare the quesadillas.
BEEF & VEGGIE QUESADILLAS:
Place a heavy-bottomed pan with tall sides on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan; once oil is warm, add the beef. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon and allow to brown. Once cooked through, remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat in the pan and lower the heat to medium.
Add the onions, zucchini and carrots to the pan along with ¼ teaspoon salt. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper; toss to combine, cooking for 1 minute before adding the beef back into the pan. Add the cumin, chili powder, Worcestershire, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined. Next, put the kale in the pan along with the juice from 1 lime and ¼ cup water. Toss to combine, turn the heat to medium-low and cover, allowing the kale to steam for 5 minutes, stirring once midway. Remove top and taste, adjusting seasoning as needed. Replace cover, turn off the heat and set aside.
Place 2 tortillas on a cutting board and generously butter 1 side of each. Turn over 1 tortilla so the buttered side is face down. Spoon the beef and veggie filling onto the unbuttered side of the tortilla. Add equal parts Monterey jack and cheddar cheese to the filling and then top with the second tortilla, leaving the buttered side of this tortilla facing up.
Warm a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough butter to coat the bottom before transferring the quesadilla to the skillet. Use a heavy-bottomed pot or pan to weigh down the tortilla. Cook for 2 minutes before carefully flipping, repeating for 2 minutes on the second side. Remove to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve quesadillas with pico de gallo and cilantro-lime sour cream.
