Power Up Greens Quesadilla with Manchego and Pineapple Salsa

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Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. To increase awareness and help prevent heart disease, the American Heart Association is currently sponsoring American Heart Month. Since eating lots of fruits and vegetables is strongly recommended as a preventative measure for heart disease, I’ve partnered with Dole on this post to inspire you to eat more of these in 2015, and especially during Heart Month.

When the folks from Dole asked me to come up with a healthy, heart-inspired recipe, I had many different ideas about what I could make. In the end, I had a lot of fun creating this Greens Quesadilla, especially since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner :)

quesadilla_hearts_text

I love Dole’s Power Up Greens. A mixture of baby kale, baby spinach, and baby chard, they are high in vitamins and minerals. I add them to all sorts of dishes and figured they’d be great in a simple quesadilla with a favorful cheese. (I used Manchego for the cheese, but an aged cheddar would be delicious as well.)

greens in cup

To make the quesadilla even tastier, and as a way to add another heart-healthy ingredient, I made a fresh pineapple salsa to include in the quesadilla. It’s both sweet and spicy and is lovely with the greens and cheese. (If you want to add some additional protein, I think slices of ham would be really good in here.)

pineapple salsa

I used cookie cutters to create the heart shapes in the quesadilla at the top of the post, but of course you don’t have to serve them that way.

quesadilla 1_

I hope you give this veggie and fruit-filled Greens Quesadilla a try, and that you have a happy Valentine’s Day!

quesadilla 2
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quesadilla 4

Please check out these additional heart-inspired recipes from Dole:
Heart Smart Salad
Heart in Hands Tarts

Disclosure: I am being compensated by Dole for my part in helping to increase awareness of the benefits of eating vegetables and fruits; all opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own.

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Recipe for Quesadilla with Greens, Manchego, and Pineapple Salsa

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Servings: 2 quesadillas, which can be cut into all sorts of shapes if desired

Ingredients

  • *Two 10-inch all-natural white or wheat tortillas
  • *approximately 2 ounces of sliced or shredded Manchego or Cheddar cheese
  • *2 cups Dole Power Up Greens or other mixed baby greens or arugula
  • *1 cup diced Dole pineapple or other fresh pineapple
  • *2 tablespoons diced red onion
  • *1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
  • *1 teaspoon minced fresh chile pepper

Instructions

  • 1. To make the pineapple salsa: In a small bowl, combine diced pineapple, red onion, cilantro, and minced chile.
  • 2. To make the quesadillas: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Spread 1/2 of one of the tortillas with half of the cheese. Cook 1 minute or until cheese begins to melt, then top with 1 cup of the greens and half of the salsa. Fold the top half of the tortilla over the filled half and press gently with a spatula. Cook 1 to 2 minutes so both sides are speckled brown. Repeat with the other tortilla, then cut each quesadilla into the shape(s) of your choice.

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