Happy Monday guys!  How was your Halloween weekend?  Did you eat too much candy?   We actually didn't get to eat that much candy because we ran out of the goods Halloween night, which was a good thing, but I may or may not have eaten too many of those pumpkin bars that I posted on Friday.  I can't resist them at all, and if you missed the recipe then you need to make them!  Since it's a new week and a new month,  I will be de-sugarfying my body starting with this healthy and really delicious butternut squash, kale, and wild rice salad! 

When we were in Florida two weeks ago, my friend Meg made us a wild rice salad with a ton of veggies and grilled chicken.  It was so good y'all and I loved the idea of tossing whatever veggies you have in the fridge with some rice and making a meal out of it! 

I roasted butternut squash, sautéed some kale with a little red chili flake, and tossed it all together with a vinaigrette!   It's the perfect meatless Monday meal, but is great served with a protein if you (or your husband) prefers!  It's also great to make ahead of time at the beginning of the week to eat for lunch because it keeps in the fridge for a few days!

I used wild rice here for the color and texture, but you could easily use whatever rice you have in your pantry if you aren't a fan of wild rice.  The pops of orange and green against the dark rice are lovely and when there is color on your plate,  you just know that it is good for you!

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Wild Rice
• 1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock, plus about 1/4 Cup for the kale
• 1 1/2 Cups Water (if you are not using a rice cooker, you will need double the liquid to the rice, if you are using a rice cooker you do equal parts liquid to rice)
• 1 Butternut Squash, peeled, chopped, and seeds removed
• 4 Cups of Kale, washed and chopped (You can buy the bag of ready to use kale if you prefer)
• 1/4 Cup of Sliced Almonds (Could sub walnuts here too)
• 1 Tsp. Red Chili Flakes
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced fine
• 1 Onion, Diced Small
• 1 Tsp. Salt for Squash, 1/2 Tsp. Salt for Kale
• 1 Tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper for the Squash, 1/2 Tsp. Pepper for Kale

Vinaigrette-

• 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a rice cooker place rice and liquids inside with a pinch of salt and cook.  If cooking on the stove, place liquids and rice on the stove and follow the rice instructions on the package.
• While the rice cooks, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss your squash with 1 Tbsp Olive oil, and your salt and pepper and roast for about 40 minutes until the squash is tender and caramelized slightly.
• In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. Olive oil in the pan, add onions, garlic, red chili flakes, and salt and pepper and cook for about two minutes.
• Add your kale to the pan a little at a time as it starts to wilt. 
• Add about half of your chicken stock and let reduce as you continue to sauté.  Add the rest of the kale and liquid and cook for about 5-7 minutes until kale is tender and the stock has evaporated, but kale is not mushy.  Remove from heat.
• In a small bowl, mix your red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and salt and pepper.  Slowly add your olive oil whisking the whole time until the vinaigrette comes together.
• Once rice is done, mix your rice, veggies, almonds, and the vinaigrette together and serve immediately.

It's so good guys and even Canean who is not a big fan of butternut squash or kale ate it, so you have a good shot of getting all family members on board with this meal!  And let's face it after a weekend of eating candy, or pumpkin bars in my case we could all use a little dose of healthy!

It's so good, I'm thinking about serving it as one of my Thanksgiving sides, and maybe you should too!