Fruits and Veggies Monday--Another Installment of "What's Cooking in Katie's Kitchen" ;)

Happy Monday!  This day of the week just keeps getting better and better as @lenasveganliving's contest just keeps growing!  My hats off to not only our wonderful host Lena, but also to the guest judge every week.  I am sure it is not an easy task to pick from so many great entries, but at least it is a blast to look at all of the wonderful images of produce around the world! I rarely miss a week without joining in on #fruitsandveggiesmonday!

Today I'll give you a little glimpse what I have cooking up in my kitchen.  I'll definitely try to share later on today or tomorrow the Buddha bowl recipe that I am going to be devouring for lunches this week. ;)

It was quite chilly once again this weekend, so roasting vegetables not only tastes delicious but it also warms the house up when I crank up the oven!  I went back for more of my beloved beets this week at the grocery store (I'll eat your share @doc.hodes), along with some acorn squash and sweet potatoes.

I had not gotten any acorn squash in a while, so we decided to harvest the seeds to plant in our garden this year.  Some of our best gardening efforts have come from seed-saving.  I usually leave this task to @dksart while I work on cooking. ;)

To continue the trend of using as much of the plant as possible, I also always use my beet greens.  I know you can often get just the bulb of the beet, but I prefer to get the whole plant.  The leaves are rich in nutrients and have a different flavor that other greens, so it's great for a little variety.  I chopped these up to freeze and add to smoothies later on or maybe even a soup.

I also had a hearty bean and red lentil chili on the plan for this week.  It is another recipe from the "How Not to Die Cookbook".  A keeper for sure, so I will try to do a cookbook review this week.  I think that would be a fabulous entry for the #veganuarycontest for @lolzwithlisa!  (Another great contest for you fellow veggie lovers)  The peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms all went in to simmer in the pot for a warming Sunday afternoon lunch with plenty leftover for dinners this week!

I still have to finish out cooking the rest of the vegetables to top my roasted sweet potatoes with tonight, but this is what my efforts came to yesterday.  I love looking in the refrigerator and seeing it full of wholesome meals.  The rest of the week we can just reach in and know lunch and dinner is ready!

I hope you guys have some fabulous things on the menu for this week, as well!