Delicata Squash with Kale and Potatoes

Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2012! As much as I love the holidays, I am excited to take a break from excessive celebrating and get back to some healthy eating! I have dubbed this week the week of kale. Since kale is one of my favorite veggies and an incredibly versatile ingredient, I wanted to show you some unique ways to prepare and enjoy it. Personally, I usually like it raw, but it's a bit of an acquired taste. So I decided to kick off a healthy 2012 with some new and interesting kale recipes.

This dish is a hodgepodge of incredibly vitamin rich ingredients. You start with roasting some creamy delicata squash and fingerling potatoes and then toss that with crunchy kale and radicchio. The heat of the roasted squash will wilt the greens, making a warm, flavorful salad that I top with a light lemon vinaigrette. Radicchio has a slight bitterness, which is offset nicely by the sweet and creamy squash. This dish is light and flavorful while also being absolutely packed with fiber and vitamins. Most importantly, it's simple and easy to prepare.

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Radicchio, Pear and Fennel Salad

I made this exciting spring salad for Easter and it was a big hit. Even my veggie-phobic little brother enjoyed it. Crunchy, flavorful and packed with vitamins, it is an impressive start to any meal. The sweetness of Bosc pears compliments the spice of the fennel and the bitterness of the radicchio. You can mix this salad with any type of greens. Here I used kale because I had it on hand, but field greens, romaine or Bibb lettuce would all work well. Because the ingredients are so flavorful, I dressed it with a sprinkle of olive oil and balsamic and a lemon wedge.

Radicchio, also called chicory, is high in antioxidants and neutralizes free radicals that cause cell damage. It is also filled with fiber, iron, phosphorous and zinc. Its dark red color indicates that it is high in phytonutrients such as lycopene, quercetin and hesperidin, which regulate blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Full recipe after the jump.
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