I'm a sucker for warm salads. Sauteed mushrooms? Yep! Hot chicken? Mmhmm.

So, when I had to throw something together with nothing for a Community Gardening Day lunch, it's no surprise I defaulted straight to a new warm salad creation. This is my favorite mid-summer salad when the choices for tomatoes are endless, the kale plants turn into trees, and the stockpile of squash gets as tall as me.

Note: It's wonderful with almost any kind of tomato, including cherry varieties, and for those who don't like peppers *Ahem, husband*, feel free to leave them out!

Meg's Butternut and Dino Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash

2 small yellow bell peppers

4 cloves minced garlic

½ cup melted butter

1 cup quinoa

1 bunch Genovese Basil

2 large bunches Dinosaur Kale

2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced

Avocado Oil or Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375˚

2. Peel butternut squash, cut in half, and clean out the seeds. Chop into 1 inch cubes and place cubes in oiled baking dish. Drizzle lightly with 3 tbsp oil. Coat with melted butter and top with minced garlic. Season with ½ tbsp salt and pepper. Stir squash to coat and season cubes evenly. Bake uncovered for a total of one hour.

3. Chop bell peppers into long thin slices. After 30 minutes of baking squash, add peppers to squash and stir together.

4. Cook one cup quinoa in 2 cups water, stirring occasionally, until water is fully absorbed, let cool.

5. Slice basil into long thin strips using a Chiffonade method

6. Chop kale into long thin strips

7. Combine kale, basil, tomatoes, and quinoa. Drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and toss.

8. Top with butternut squash and bell peppers, and toss gently.

What are your favorite ways to use up a bin full of kale?