Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Chick Peas

Cold, are you?

Arctic chill here in New Hampshire. We all have chapped lips, hands, and are eating too many left over cookies and candy because our bodies are telling us to carb load.

But after I started to crave feeling like I did during the cleanse, I decided to switch gears. Only a cold salad was the last thing I wanted. So I whipped this Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Chick Peas. I crumbled goat cheese on top, though for my second serving (ha!) I tried feta and that was so good too. You can’t go wrong either way. A sprinkle with lemon and a drizzle of olive oil make this amazing.

My husband and I ate at a local restaurant, The Joinery, this fall, and one of the salads we had there was the inspiration behind this. It had a bed of a spicy sauce, made from Harissa, and the warm kale was topped with chick peas. I was craving all kinds of roasted veggies though, and the additions are amazing. The red pepper flakes and the garlic give it a kick, and there is a surprising amount of flavor from the nuttiness of the cauliflower, the garlic, and the lemon.

You can roast the veggies ahead of time and warm up the kale right before serving (which is what I did today). The heat from the kale will warm them up.

Happy eating/staying warm/eating.

xoxo Katie

Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Chickpeas (printer version here):

Olive oil

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 butternut squash, cubed

1 onion, diced large

1 can of chickpeas

1 head of kale, cut into large strips

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

 

Directions:

 

Set oven to 400 degrees. Spread onions and butternut squash on one pan, cauliflower and chick peas on another. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, adding garlic salt to the chick peas and cauliflower. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping over half way. Roast onions and squash for 10 more minutes, then remove. Take out cauliflower and chick peas in 5 more minutes or until golden brown.

In the meantime, or right before serving, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add garlic, stiring for one minute before adding kale. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until kale starts to brown.

Put kale on a plate, top with roasted veggies and goat cheese. Sprinkle with lemon and olive oil, if desired.