Warm Butternut Squash, Kale and Beans Salad

When it starts to get chillier, I like to take a break from raw salads and warm my body with cozy bowls of roasted veggies. This salad really brings in the beautiful fall colors, is very tasty, and the green garlicky sauce drizzled on top gives it a nice character.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Kale

• 1 cup of Cooked Kidney Beans

• 1 small Onion

• 1/3 cup of Parsley

• 1/3 cup of Cilantro

• 3 cloves of Garlic

• 1 Serrano Chile Pepper

• 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

• Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Glaze)

• Salt to taste

• 1 Butternut Squash (missing from original list)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (or 350 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Cut the Butternut Squash into small half-circles (don't forget to remove the seeds), then shred Kale into medium-sized pieces (it's easiest to do this with your hands), and chop the onions into half-circles as well.

3. Place everything onto a baking tray, pour half a tablespoon of olive oil, and toss everything so it gets coated. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.

4. After 10 minutes, check on the kale because it cooks quickly to get the wilted consistency we want. If you see it getting a bit brown, take it out while putting the squash and onions back into the oven for 10 more minutes, keeping an eye on them.

5. In the meantime, put parsley, cilantro, garlic, serrano chile pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a food processor and grind until it's pasty. Taste it and see what's dominating; I like it when it's garlicky and has a bit of a punch from the pepper. Add salt to taste, pulse a couple more times, and set aside.

6. When the veggies are cooked, plate individual servings with a first layer of kale, then add butternut squash, onions, and put cooked kidney beans on top (you can use canned, but I like to cook them myself so they're warm and freshly made).

7. Drizzle the parsley/cilantro paste you just made on top and add the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena glaze in a similar pattern, just a bit less, since the Vinegar is pretty strong.

   That's it! Enjoy your meal with pleasure!