Spanikopadilla (Greek quesadillas) and hearty greek salad

One secret about Anna, is that she will eat anything if it is contained in a tortilla with cheese.  Naturally, I was stoked when I found some recipes in a magazine that were all interesting variations of the quesadilla.  This was the first that I tried.  The filling is a mixture of sauteed spinach, feta cheese, a little egg, and some mozarella.  I paired our substantial quesadillas with a greek salad that contains bulgar wheat, garbanzo beans, tomatos, cucumbers, and cilantro with a lemon/dill vinagrette.  Feel free to add feta or olives to the salad or top it with some home made tzaziki sauce (yogurt cucumber sauce-- also good as a dip for the quesadillas). 

Spanikopadilla Recipe

olive oil
10 oz baby spinach
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp dried dill or 2 TBSP fresh dill
1 tsp dried parsley or 2 TBP fresh parsley
2/3 cup feta cheese (or however much you want!)
4 or 5 flour tortillas
3/4 cup shredded mozarella

Heat oven to 425, saute the spinach in a little olive oil until it has wilted and significantly reduced in size (a few minutes).  Take it out of the pan and set aside to cool. Once cooled, squeeze out the spinach to get rid of excess water.  Meanwhile, in the same pan, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes until softened.  Add to the spinach in a large bowl.  Add the egg, feta, and all spices.  Gently combine.

Arrange tortillas on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle a little mozarella on half of each tortilla, then evenly distribute the spinach/feta mixture among each tortilla on top of the mozarella.  Sprinkle a little more mozarella on top of the spinach mixture, then fold the tortillas in half over the filling.  Brush the tops with just a little olive oil and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes (depending on how crispy you want them) on the top rack in the oven.

Greek Salad

3/4 cup bulgar wheat
3/4 cup boiling water
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 of a red bell pepper diced
1/2 cucumber chopped large
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tomatoes chopped large
1/2 cup cilantro chopped (or parsley, or dill, or basil, or mint...whatever you have on hand)
2 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried basil
feta cheese, olives (optional)

In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgar wheat and let stand until the bulgar soaks up the water (about 30 minutes).  Let cool.  Once cool, add the bell pepper, tomatoes, beans, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro.  In a small jar with a lid, combine the dressing ingredients-- olive oil, lemon juice, salt pepper, and dried spices.  Shake until combined and then pour over the salad.  I like to add a little more lemon juice at this point, and when I have it on hand-- some feta cheese and sliced olives.  Refrigerate for a few hour or until ready to serve.