Sometimes I feel Crafty: Roasted Veggie and Kale Salad

So, this salad takes a lot of prep, but come fall I am imagining all sorts of variations. And, I always think that I'm going to be one of those people that preps ingredients to just have laying around in the fridge to casually toss together into an amazing salad. I think that would require me to stop making casserole and eating Mac and Cheese, so no thanks.

I had this salad at Starbucks the other day for lunch. It was pretty good, and after adding some of the salmon that I shared at the beginning of the week, it was a well rounded little meal.

I decided to recreate it. I have some suggestions of things to do differently, and my measurements aren't exact, because generally when I cook I just throw shit in until it tastes right. So, approximations of final measurements are below, along with some smart ass remarks.

Listen to something you can sing along to while you make this, because you're going to be chopping, roasting, steaming, and tearing for a while. I chose Wavves, then put on 500 Days of Summer until I started sobbing and my new MAC mascara blinded me. Then I listened to Beachwood Sparks and Dinosaur Jr. So, do what you will.

You'll need:

A bunch of kale

1 butternut squash

1 head (bunch? Crown?) of broccoli

1 bunch of beets (approx 1lb)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 head of red cabbage

Cooked salmon (or some other protein, I bet beans would be good, or chicken, or steak, or if you're a real hippie: tofu)

Dressing:

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup water

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp sugar

Alright, get your apron on. Turn up your music and touch up your lipstick.

Wearing lipstick while cooking is not only recommended in books about being a good hostess from the 1940s (because you never know when someone might drop by) but it keeps me from eating all the ingredients because I don't want to mess it up.

The oven is going to be at 400 F forever, so turn on a fan.

Start prepping your ingredients. Cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise, carve out the seeds, and put 1/2 in a shallow baking dish. Put in the oven and bake for about 40 mins. The other half can go somewhere else to do something special with later (your choice...send me ideas, mine is sitting in the fridge). While this is happening, wash the rest of your produce. Cut the beets into quarters. Wash the kale, tear it into bite sized pieces and toss it in your salad spinner ($3 at ikea!!). You could use this time to cook your brown rice as well (except it won't be done yet).

Take your beets and toss them in a ziplock with olive oil and pepper. Shake it something fierce (I had a ex boyfriend tell me he missed me something fierce one time...I thought it was adorable until he got another girlfriend, anyway back to the salad).

Place on a baking sheet in anticipation of the butternut squash being done. Pull out the squash and do a switcheroo job. As the beets are roasting, take a fork and begin trying to peel the skin off of the squash. Godspeed!

Cut it up into little squares and then repeat the ziplock olive oil trick.

Switch! Beets out, squash in.

Cut up your broccoli and steam it. You still want it to be crunchy.

Slice the cabbage.

When the squash is done let it cool. Put all if these ingredients in the fridge. Go to a Grey Gardens themed party. Go to sleep. Wake up in the morning to grey skies. Put on MAC dubonett as a "fall" alternative to your normal whore of Babylon Russian Red.