Easy Sunday Night Recipes: Kale, Avocado and Apple Salad

Honestly, Sundays for me are such a sacred time and for a multitude of reasons. For me, Sundays are the one day where I get to do anything I want or need to do for myself. I don’t work (well, usually) on Sundays. I take the time to prepare larger dishes that I eat throughout the week, because if I don’t have food ready, I will simply pull up Seamless and order takeout.

Which detracts from my bank account and adds to my waistline. Not okay.

One of my favorite things to do is make large salads that I can seal and eat for days. Seriously, they take about 15 minutes to prepare and then you’re DONE. One of my favorites this time of year is a Kale, Avocado and Apple Salad. Depending on where you live, kale and apples are seasonal right now, which I really love. For me, the Union Square Greenmarket is a weekly staple of my schedule and it’s sheer heaven for a great pile of fresh food that supports the local farmers.

Unfortunately, I am aware that avocados throw the whole thing off, so if you choose to go with tahini instead of the avocado, go for it.

Let me tell you why this salad rocks. In addition to being fast, it contains three amazing superfoods, which are amazing for your skin and overall health:

• Kale = a superfood which contains tons of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that simply ROCK for anti-aging
• Avocado = nutrient dense and packed full of healthy fats, fiber, folate, Vitamin E and whatnot. Also amazing for the health of your skin and essential tissues, like your brain
• Apples = Packed full of antioxidants and Vitamin C, which is essential for healthy teeth and gums

Here’s how to make my favorite salad for the week. SUPER easy:

• 1-2 bunch(es) of kale
• 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 medium-sized avocado
• 1-2 apples in season (I prefer Gala and MacIntosh, but Fuji and Granny Smith are also amazing)

- Wash and de-stem the kale. Shake excess water loose and place into a large bowl.

- Tear the larger leaves into smaller pieces with your hands. This keeps you from the Giant Piece of Kale Hitting Your Face move that I have done before

- Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the freshly-washed kale leaves. If you don’t have a juicer, stick a fork into the end and twist it inside the lemon half while you squeeze. Works just as well.

- Toss 1 tbsp of kosher salt over the leaves. Sit in front of the tv with the bowl on your lap and knead the leaves with the juice and salt mixture until they wilt and soften. It should last about one commercial break.

- Slice an avocado in half and remove the pit. Score and scoop the contents of both sides into the wilted kale leaves. Mix it in with a fork. You might have to mash it a bit, but it will give in short order.

- Core and dice an apple. Throw the diced pieces over the salad and mix in.

And that’s it! You’re DONE.

If you want to garnish the salad, you can add a billion things to it, like shelled sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, pecan halves. You can also add bit of sliced ginger to the salad as well.

I usually start this salad at the first commercial break of a tv show. It’s done by the second commercial break.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!