What would the weekend bring without going to the local farmers market?

I found purple cauliflower, not my favorite vegetable but my favorite color :)

I love the Fall and the bounty of squash. My new favorite is Kabocha, I also had to indulge in the Japanese sweet potatoes, delicata squash along with the white and cosmic purple carrots. That is all I could manage on my mile walk home! I got home and cut the squash in half, not an easy task, but one I finally managed on my own! I think Bob would have been terrified if he saw me with the biggest knife we own in my hands! Pre heat the oven to 350. I still have rosemary and sage growing on my balcony so I seasoned the squash with chopped up herbs, salt and pepper, placed them on a baking pan face down and baked them until tender. I had a quarter of the kabocha for lunch, cut up the rest into quarter slices so now I have some in the freezer for future meals. I also toasted the seeds from the kabocha squash, seasoned with some spices and they make a handy little snack!

The roasted carrots and the steamed purple squash proved to be great additions to our huge salad with grilled flank steak for dinner. I made a vinaigrette by using guindilla peppers, some of the juice, red wine vinegar, 1 glove of garlic, pepper and salt with a red chili blend. The guindilla peppers are my new addiction. They aren't as hot as the sport peppers and smoother then the pepperoncinis. You can find them at Trader Joe's! A glass or two of red wine and I was in heaven!

FACTS: The winter squash group offer a very good source of vitamins B1 and C, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fiber, and potassium. They are also a good source of vitamin B6 and niacin. carotene properties, winter squash exert a protective effect against many cancers, particularly lung cancer. Diets that are rich in carotenes (especially pumpkins) offer protection against cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Studies have also shown that pumpkin seeds are helpful in reducing symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).