With the grey moving in along with a bit of Seattle drizzle, I decided to bid farewell to the light, bright days of summer and, rather than fight it, welcome Fall with the happiness it deserves. It’s easy to mourn the end of of summer and dread the impending grey, but, really, I love the Fall season. So much changes in a such a short time, why not embrace these changes?

OK, gears switched. Summer’s over.

Wait, no, not yet!

There, OK. This time I’ve acknowledged it. Summer’s over. Breathe. Move on.

There’s so much to look forward to! Cooler temperatures and cozy Fall clothing; rain boots and less time watering the garden; brisk weather for beautiful walks; colorful piles of leaves to crunch; Halloween, Thanksgiving, gatherings of friends and family; apples and pears and grapes, winter greens, squashes and pumpkins.

Cooler weather means no worrying about a hot kitchen and more thinking about soups, stews, and baking. So much goodness.

A trip to PCC drove it home for me: the grapes and strawberries of summer had been pushed to the back, replaced with the warm oranges and yellows of squashes and pumpkins and brussel sprouts. The summer favorites were gone, replaced with Fall bounty.

Here’s what I picked up.

Gluten free cooking doesn’t require special ingredients and recipes. Roasted veggies served over a favorite grain drizzled with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Easy. And since it was a gorgeous Fall day, I wanted to make something quick so that when my son Zev woke from his nap, we could get outside and enjoy the weather.

• Assortment of veggies (I used delicata squash, cauliflower, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, new potatoes, white potatoes, red cabbage), all cut to uniform size (the bigger the pieces, the longer this takes to cook) - enough to fill a single layer in the baking dish
• 1½ t. dried thyme,
• 1½ t. dried oregano
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• Side of cooked quinoa or wild rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9″ x 12″ baking dish, fill with the assorted veggies. Season to taste. Drizzle with canola or safflower oil and lightly toss to evenly distribute oil and seasonings. Cover with foil. Bake for 30-45 minutes (cooking time depends on size and amount of veggies) or until fork tender.

Serve over quinoa or rice.