Delicata Squash with Kale and Potatoes

Apparently no one has told Portland that it's fall now. Our weather has been in the 70s and 80s and sunny. It's definitely crisper in the morning, but has yet to have that real *fall* essence to it, or the rain to match. I'm trying not to complain, but boy am I confused. On Sundays, I should be watching football in my hoodie, clutching my coffee mug happy to be inside since it's raining cats and dogs outside. Instead, I'm inside watching football with my hoodie on because the glare on the tv from the sun is disrupting our game, so it's a bit chilly inside. It also makes me feel a wee bit guilty for sitting around all day rather than enjoying the last days of this Indian summer. 

This is only half of what the recipe made; I spread it out in 2 pans to make sure everything was browned

But the vegetables know better. The grocery store has slowly been fading out all the good fruit and vegetables for the hearty, earthy flavors of fall. I appreciate cooking at this time of year because I love pumpkin-flavored anything and our grocery bills get significantly cheaper. It's much nicer to plan out meals, have leftovers for another night, lunch for a day or two and something to stick in the freezer for a random Friday when we're at a loss as to what to make. 

We've been trying to participate in Meatless Mondays more often...good way to save money and keep our meat consumption in check. I'm pretty much the last person to go vegan or vegetarian, but I do love my vegetables and think cutting back on meat is probably a wise thing to do--for our health, our budget, and the environment.

As many of my friends know, I'm kind of a bean freak. Maybe it's my Mexican heritage or because I grew up on the poor side, but beans have always just been a way of life. They are so versatile, though, how could you not love them? One of my friends even sent this little blurb from Bon Appetit, In Praise of Peasant Cooking. See? People are catching on.

This recipe for delicata squash, kale, and potatoes was originally posted on Take Part's website as a feature for their Meatless Monday series. It intrigued me, so I pinned it. I made some adjustments, though, to get a little more protein involved and boost the flavor. 

Overall, we liked the dish. I wasn't crazy about how sweet and overwhelming the squash was, and I definitely could have used a little more kale. It is a lot of chopping for one meal, but after that was done, it came together easily and needed little to no monitoring. Good for a veggie dish and good for a Monday. I'll give it a thumbs up.

Don't know what to make for dinner tonight? I have some ideas.