Jay and I just finished buying a weeks worth of organic groceries from our living room couch and will be getting them delivered to our apartment tomorrow morning for less than it would cost in subway fare.  So needless to say I am slowly and surely adapting to our novel manhattan lifestyle and the sheer connivence of urban living.   However, there have been a series of small changes that have not been as seamless, and although mostly minor they are adjustments just the same.   One such transition has been going from our seemingly expansive, modern kitchen to our cozy, retro digs here on the Upper West Side.  So inspite of the chaos of unpacking,  days of avoiding suffering in front a heated oven in a New York summer swelter and fighting all temptation to continually eat out due to the sheer cheapness and accessibility of multiple culinary options in our new neighbourhood (that’s right still got the U in there. Go Canada) I decided I need to make our new place feel like what it is, our home, by preparing a hearty, home cooked meal. This quick, inexpensive and filling paleo or vegan meal (your choice) fit the bill in that it didn’t monopolize much of my scant time, thus allowing me time to tackle the five journal articles I was assigned during my first class. Welcome to graduate school.

Warm Greens, Yam and Avocado Salad

Serves 2 hungry people as a meal

Ingredients

• 1 large yam
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bundles of kale
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup of balsamic based dressing (we use my homemade dressing which can be found here)
• Turkey Sausage (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Chop the yams into small, bite sized pieces and arrange on the baking sheet.
3. Season with salt and pepper, and place in the oven to roast for 15 minutes or until tender.
4. Rinse, remove the stem and chop the kale into bite sized pieces.
5. Remove yams from the oven and cover the yams with the kale.
6. Then drizzle the kale with the dressing, stir to mix all together and place in the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn).
7. Chop up the sausages into rounds and line on the other baking sheets.  Place in the oven to roast along with the kale.
8. Divide and arrange the baby spinach on each serving plate.
9. Remove vegetables from the oven and divide between the two serving dishes.
10. Remove the meat from the oven and top whichever salad requires it.
11. Slice the avocado and dice into small cubes.  Top each salad with half the avocado and serve.