Sweet Potato + Spinach Quesadilla

Alright, Christmas is over. The holidays are coming to a close. Regret may be starting to set in, vows and resolutions to eat better, work out more, clean up your lifestyle.

As ever, we are here to help. But let's not go crazy. You can't go from sugar & carbohydrate overload to cold turkey. (Literally, just straight turkey isn't going to do it for you after a season of indulgence.) A steady diet of salads and steamed vegetables sounds like a good idea, and is definitely nutritionally what your body probably needs right now, but starving yourself or denying yourself will lead more surely toward diet destruction and 'giving up' all of your grand plans. 

Today's recipe is a few important steps in the right-eating direction, while still being delicious, satisfying and best of all-nutrient dense. The new year is a great time to make changes in your health, but take baby steps. Too much all at once can be self-defeating, and the most important thing about any diet or exercise plan is that it succeeds long term.

Sweet Potato and Spinach Quesadillas

Gather

2 medium sweet potatoes, baked + soft (1 pound total)
1 cup red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
4 black peppercorns
1 large red onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
5 cups fresh baby spinach (4 oz)
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
4 teaspoons olive oil

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, and peppercorns; bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Place onion slices in a medium heatproof bowl; pour hot vinegar mixture over onion and let stand 10 minutes. Drain onion slices and transfer to a plate to cool.

3. Split cooked potatoes open with a knife; remove orange flesh and transfer to a bowl--there should be about 1 cup. Use a fork to mash potato with salt and pepper; divide potato filling among 4 tortillas. Top each with 1 cup spinach, 1/4 cups of cheese, and second tortilla.

4. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, heat 1 teaspoon oil and transfer 1 quesadilla to skillet; cook until quesadilla is crisp and cheese is melted (about 3 minutes per side). Transfer cooked quesadilla to serving plate. Repeat with remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut quesadillas in quarters and serve each with 1/4 cup pickled onions.

Enjoy and remember, start slow and gain momentum. Let's make 2015 your best year yet!