Dishing Up the Dirt

butternut squash and kale quesadillas with cumin-lime yogurt sauce

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I can hardly type this post because my fingers are currently covered in blood blisters. Taylor and I are slowly putting the farm to sleep for the season which means a LOT of cleanup work lies ahead of us. (And apparently wounded hands.) We spent the entire day on Friday pulling up black plastic, removing hundreds of tomatoes stakes, and hauling farm equipment to storage for the winter.

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We apparently did a very good job pounding our tomato stakes into the ground this year. It took all of our body strength and a LOT of swear words to pull those suckers out.

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At one point Taylor looked at me and said “this sucks so badly I feel like bursting into tears.” Yep, you know things are getting pretty bad when Taylor admits that a task is almost tear worthy.

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There were no tears shed from Taylor, however, I cannot say the same for myself. I felt like I got my ass kicked pretty badly. There was a moment when I was sprawled out in the dirt begging to call it quits for the day. (I’m not dramatic or anything…) Taylor pushed me through and promised an ice cold pumpkin beer as a reward for surviving the day. I choked back the tears and carried on. I’ll do just about anything for a pumpkin beer.

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Taylor rewarded me with my tasty beer and I rewarded him with these lovely quesadillas. Win win.

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The sweetness of the butternut squash goes extremely well with the kale and yogurt sauce. Pour yourself a pumpkin beer (you deserve it!) and dig in.

Butternut Squash And Kale Quesadillas With Cumin-Lime Yogurt Sauce

Prep Time: 15 mins.    Cook Time: 25 mins.    Serves: 2

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed and finely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups worth)
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • 4 tortillas (spelt, whole wheat, or whatever you fancy)
For the Cumin-Lime Yogurt Sauce
  • 1 cup plain organic yogurt
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp honey
  • minced cilantro

Preparation

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce together in a bowl. Set aside
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the squash and cook until for tender. About 5-8 minutes. Strain squash and let cool for a couple of minutes.
  3. While squash cooks heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes stirring often. Add garlic,  kale, and chili powder. Cook for about 3-5 more minutes (or until kale is bright green and tender) Remove from heat and place mixture into a bowl. Reserve the same pan for cooking the tortillas (no need to clean it!)
  4. In a blender of food processor puree the squash with 1 TBS olive oil and a dash of salt.
  5. Heat a little more oil in the same skillet over medium hight heat. Assemble your quesadillas by spreading a healthy portion of the squash mixture followed by the kale and onion mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and top with the the second tortilla. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side or until lightly browned and crisp.
  6. Enjoy with yogurt-lime sauce and cilantro.

Notes

Please use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.


Leave a Reply

11 thoughts on “butternut squash and kale quesadillas with cumin-lime yogurt sauce

  1. The work you guys do is really tough, and I smile imagining you kicking in the dirt while Taylor incentivizes your work with pumpkin beer 🙂 These look great- yummy idea!

  2. I swear that we share the same taste buds. I would seriously eat every single thing you post on your blog. I love quesadillas! I hope the rest of the clean-up goes well…

  3. Julie H says:

    I was pulling a bunch of t-posts in September when the ground was way to dry and my sister-in-law lent me her T-post puller…it’s a miracle tool. You should put it on your Christmas list 😉
    http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/SpeeCo-T-Post-Puller/0000000000546?gclid=CIyHso-VqboCFWZBQgod6X4Aqw (you can probably pick one up at your local farm/feed store too).

  4. Karen A says:

    I tried butternut squash for the first time this year and I’m kind of obsessed with it. It has such a rich texture, it’s perfect for comfort foods like quesadillas!

  5. Oh nooo I thought most of the hard work was behind you for the season! I guess that’s never really the case when you’re a farmer, huh. Well, I guess a lighter hand with those stakes next spring?
    These quesadillas look so flavorful! I especially love the looks of that cumin-lime yogurt sauce. There’s a squash on my counter with this recipe’s name on it!

  6. Julia says:

    You and Taylor are so sweet and supportive to each other, I just want to bear hug you both! I hope the worst of the end-of-season stuff is over with and hope you can have a chance to relax a bit this winter! You are one strong lady! Your quesadilla looks phenomenal!!! You and Taylor should open a restaurant!

  7. Amy says:

    I just stumbled across your blog and I am already in love. I really admire the hard work farmers/small producers do and reading a first hand account is fascinating. Count me in as a follower. Oh, and count me in for some delicious butternut squash quesadillas too!

  8. Kim says:

    Hi Andrea,
    I love your rcipes! Thanks!
    Next time if it hasn’t rained in a while, run water through your drip tape first and the tomato stakes will come right out of the ground. Same with removing the plastic mulch. I found that out the hard way!
    -Kim

    1. Andrea says:

      Thanks for the tip!!! So happy you are enjoying the recipes. Happy New Year!

  9. Ali says:

    I just stumbled upon your blog and made this quesadillas tonight – they are perfection. I used sweet potato instead of the squash but the flavors were amazing! Looking forward to following your journey with your farm and trying more of your delicious recipes in 2014!

  10. Alex says:

    I made these and they were super delicious! I threw in some black beans too and it worked out really well.

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