Kabocha squash and kale

I had a long, rather involved morning trying to get a jump start for my car today. I actually did get one early on, only to not let my car run long enough to recharge, then parking it face-in in the garage to not start again. Um...?! This maneuver perhaps tops last week's decision to bring my house plant, aka small tree, outside for sun last week, forgetting that the nights were pretty cool and that the tree would, of course, feel the fall chill and drop its leaves, which it is now doing quietly every hour in my living room.

So. The big need for a functional vehicle today was a grocery store trip because I was out of eggs and cream. So breakfast this morning was keto style coffee (coffee blended with butter and coconut oil) and this delicious squash and kale with breakfast sausage, rather than eggs. Which was not bad. I could eat kale and kabocha squash forever, and this pairing was particularly good. (It is slightly reminiscent of the roasted kabocha with date relish from some years ago, but less fancy and less sweet!) I am coming to the end of my garden kale - I picked a bunch this morning after brushing off snow, and I suspect my next harvest will be the last. No more daily kale bounty!

This recipe is simple, and makes a great side, or eat it for breakfast as I did, with eggs and/or sausage. The fussy part of this dish is that it requires two pans: 1 for roasting the squash, and the other for the stove top. I made my squash more like slices, but you could also cut it up into chunks. I did that with the rest of the squash, which I also cooked to save for later.

• olive oil and coconut oil
  
• half of a red onion, slivered or diced
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1 bunch kale, stem removed and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped with seeds
  
• half a small kabocha squash (or butternut), seeded, peeled, and sliced about 1/2" thick
  
• salt
• few squeezes of lemon juice
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Pour about 1 T olive oil onto a rimmed sheet tray; lay kabocha squash slices in a single layer, making sure to coat both sides in the olive oil. Add more olive oil as needed, and sprinkle salt over the top. Put sheet tray on the bottom oven rack for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through. You want the slices to brown on each side.

While squash is cooking, prep the onions and garlic and kale. Heat 1 T coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add chopped kale and jalapeno and saute for 5-10 minutes, stirring often to coat all of the greens. If your kale is dry, add 1 T of water to help cook/steam the kale. (Mine was wet from the snow cover!) You want the greens to be soft, but still bright green. Keep heat under the skillet on low, uncovered, while you wait for the squash.

When squash is done, spoon it into the cast iron. Pour a glug of olive oil over the top, and give some generous squeezes of lemon juice before stirring everything together, gently. Add more salt to taste, and serve.