Yam and Kale Salad

This salad hits the spot for me when I want something sweet and savory with a variety of textures. It requires a bit of prep work, so I make a double batch. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and actually picks up more flavor as it marinates. It's very flexible in terms of replacing ingredients. I like the tart and sweet of the dried cherries, but you can substitute craisins, raisins, currants, etc. Same for the seeds- I use pumpkin seeds, but I imagine sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc would also taste good.

Ingredients

2 cups yams or sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1/2 cup white onion, sliced thin

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

6 cups kale, de-stemmed and sliced into very thin strips

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions

1.  Toss yams/sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Arrange in large baking pan (I used 9 x 13 x 2) and bake at 400 F for 20 mins.

2.  While the yams/sweet potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil, onions, garlic and a pinch of salt in a small pan on med heat.  Cook until golden brown (~15 mins), stirring occasionally (add a spoon of water if the onions and garlic begin to stick and burn).

3. When the yams/sweet potatoes and onions/garlic is done, mix everything together in the pan that the yams/sweet potatoes were roasted in (the heat will wilt the kale).  Cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.