Brendan Brazier is one of my vegan heroes, and this super salad comes from his book, Thrive Foods.

Thrive Foods is the inspiration

Brendan Brazier is an endurance athlete and vegan, and he’s researched and tested loads of foods and recipes for their nutrient density to support a healthy and active and vital lifestyle.

I have a copy of his books, and my favourite is Thrive Foods, which includes a useful list of super-healthy foods (like coconut oil, walnuts, macadamias, dates, brown rice, extra virgin olive oil and hemp seeds) and what he calls “next level” foods (like coconut water, kombucha, coconut palm sugar, chlorella and chia).

This salad is 100% nutrient dense. The version I give here is only slightly modified, and no less healthy and delicious.

• 4 to 5 leaves of kale
• the juice of a lemon (my lemon tree’s lemons are very vast, and so I really only needed the juice from half a lemon)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt (I use the pretty and healthy Himalayan rock salt)
• a quarter of a red onion, diced finely
• 2 avocados, chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 12-14 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 12-14 kalamata olives (I buy them organic and whole, and pit them with an olive/cherry pitter)
• 2-3 tsp black sesame seeds (you could use any seed you like, for crunch, but I chose these for contrast and calcium)

Shred the kale, and add to a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and red onion.

Kale and diced red onion, sousing in lemon juice and olive oil.

Massage the kale with its companions, to help it wilt and soften.

Then add the tomatoes, avocado and olives, and mix to combine. I let this sit for about 15 minutes while I waited for Scott to finish trying to fix my broken food processor, and I think this resting time works in favour of the kale.

Quick Kale and Avocado Salad, with olives and cherry tomatoes.

When I served it up, I got the inspiration to add black sesame seeds, but you could really sprinkle this salad with whatever takes your fancy. Here are some ideas: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, gomashio, some fresh chopped herbs.

Quick Kale and Avocado Salad with kalamata olives and black sesame seeds.