The Salad That Fights Alzheimer's Disease

   In honor of Alzheimer's Disease Awareness month the recipe for November will be Spinach salad with apples and walnuts. What does a salad have to do with Alzheimer's disease you might ask. Well, ground breaking research has shown that a diet high in Folate, Vitamin E, and Omega 3 fatty acids decreases the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by 33%. It just so happens that my favorite salad is rich in all three!

Folate can be found in leafy greens like kale or spinach, black eyed peas, and great northern white beans.

Vitamin E can be found in almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, olive oil, and walnuts.

Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in salmon, sardines, tuna, flaxseed, walnuts, and almonds.

Spinach salad with apples and walnuts

1 bag fresh spinach (about 6 cups)

1 apple of your choosing (I prefer granny smith or red delicious but any will work)

3 Tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles

1/3 cup walnuts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1. In a small bowl (with a lid), combine oil, vinegar, and mustard. Put on the lid and shake to mix.

2. Lightly coat the spinach with the olive oil, vinegar, dijon dressing.

3. Cut the apple into bit size pieces. Add apple, walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles.

Make 4 servings with approximately 182 calories per serving.

Variations:

1. Instead of apple you can use pears, strawberries, mandarin oranges, ect.

2. If you do not care for plain 'ol walnuts, you can try candied walnuts. Put your walnuts in a microwave safe bowl with a little bit of water and a little bit of sugar.  Microwave them for 6-8 minutes or until the sugar starts to caramelize. Stir several times during cooking. Pour out onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and separate into pieces. Let them sit to cool.

3. If making your own dressing is too much work, I have found a wonderful substitute. Kraft makes a Light Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing that is just as good, and only has 50 calories for 2 tablespoons. The good part is that a little bit of this dressing goes a long way. When I make a single serving portion I can get away with just using 1 tablespoon. :)