Ingredient Spotlight: Leafy Greens

Dark, leafy greens are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, folate and magnesium. Leaves and stems tend to collect sand and soil, so if buying fresh from a farm, be sure to submerge trimmed leaves in water and swirl around before drying and serving.


Leafy Greens Season in Indiana

With a harvest season from June through October, leafy greens can also be purchased locally during their extended season (November - December and March - May).

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Chicken and Spinach Quesadilla
School Foodservice Recipe

Ingredients

7 1/4 lbs Chicken thigh strips

1 1/4 lbs Onions, yellow jumbo

2 oz Garlic, whole peeled

4 Tbsp Oil, olive canola blend

6 1/2 tsp Salt, kosher

81 g Parmesan cheese

34 1/4 oz Mozzarella cheese

17 1/8 lbs Baby spinach

100 Tortillas, 9 inch

Procedure

1. Dice onions and mince garlic.

2. Saute onions and garlic in oil.

3. Steam spinach in small batches until just slightly wilted. Add salt to cooked spinach.

4. Mix spinach, onions, garlic, cheeses, and chicken together.

5. Using #8 scoop (1/2 cup), put one scoop onto tortilla.

6. Fold tortilla in half.

7. Put 20 quesadillas per sheet pan.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Portion size: 1 quesadilla
Number of portions: 100
Meal component: 1/4 vegetable, 1 1/4 meat
Calories: 318
Saturated fat: 2g
Sodium: 591 mg

Recipe courtesy of Chef Ann Foundation’s website The Lunch Box (thelunchbox.org).

Indiana Spinach Growers

 

Spinach Flyer Template

Promote your local sourcing with this easy to edit Word document! You can update/remove the farm name, list other local ingredients, and adjust anything else you like.

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What else is in season?

Visit the Harvest Calendar to see what fruits and vegetables are in season throughout the year in Indiana.