no-cook bacon, apple, and avocado salad with a lemon-ginger dressing

Some days you do not have the energy to stand at a stove, and this salad only asks for a knife and a bowl. A meal that takes 10 minutes and needs no cooking still counts as real food on a day like that. It is 1 less decision, and it still puts something worth eating in front of you.

The avocado does the quiet work here. It is a source of monounsaturated fat, which your body uses to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins sitting right next to it in the greens. Add crisp green apple and a lemon-ginger dressing with a touch of honey, and plain greens turn into something you reach for instead of something you push through.

Choose a clean, sugar-free bacon and read the label, since cured pork often hides sugar or nightshade seasonings. That is the 1 thing in this recipe worth attention. Everything else is already built the way you need it.

Toss it together and look at what is actually in the bowl before you dig in: pale apple, dark avocado, flecks of bacon through the leaves. 10 minutes of effort, and it still looks like something worth sitting down for.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1 cup diced green apple
• 1 cup chopped avocado
• 2 strips cooked, crumbled clean-label bacon
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion

For the lemon-ginger dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Method

Toss the mixed greens, diced apple, chopped avocado, crumbled bacon, and green onion together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl or jar, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, ground ginger, salt, and minced garlic until smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently so the avocado stays intact.

To turn this side into a main, add chopped cooked chicken along with or in place of the bacon.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*