Does anyone else feel like this month has been a year long? It’s hard to believe how much has changed in such a short amount of time.

I don’t know about you, but all of those changes have had an effect. I haven’t felt much like cooking the last few weeks, and even less like writing (perfectly evidenced by the fact that it took me about four days to summon even that sentence). I’m privileged to still be working, but between work and stress, it feels like my creativity has run dry. I just don’t know where to start or what to say.

On the days when life leaves me with little inspiration or time to reflect, there are a few dishes that I fall back on, meals that I’ve made so many times that they take almost no thought. This salad is one of those. For years, it’s been my go-to “I’m out of meal planning ideas” and the thing I crave when I return from deployments. Lately, it’s been lunch or dinner on several occasions. It’s comfort food with little prep time, little cook time, and a short ingredient list. It’s a suggestion of a meal for difficult days.

A Salad Suggestion for Difficult Days

Source: I Thought There Would Be Free Food

Serves: As many people as you want

Active time: 30 minutes

Note: For a one-person salad, I like three or four kale leaves and a good handful of arugula. It’s easily scaled to feed as many as needed.

Ingredients:

• Kale (I prefer lacinto)
• Arugula
• Nuts (my favorite are pecans, but walnuts and hazelnuts are also delicious)
• Avocado
• A wedge of lemon or lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Rinse, de-rib (save those stems!) and chop the kale. I like to chop it into fairly small bits, around 1/2-inch squared, because I am an inelegant salad eater and this relieves quite a bit of my “is a leaf hanging out of my mouth” anxiety. Chop the arugula, too, and toss both greens together in a bowl.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat. While it’s heating, coarsely chop the nuts, then add them to the pan when it’s warm. Toast the nuts until they’re golden brown and fragrant. This will likely take 5–10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dress however much kale and arugula you feel like eating with some lemon juice. Give it a good toss. Cut as much avocado as you’d like and set it aside.
• Once the nuts have finished toasting, add as many as you’d like onto your salad. Drizzle with olive oil and toss everything together. Garnish with avocado and salt and pepper, to taste.