This post is sponsored by Foodland and the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture as part of Foodland’s Eat Local Today initiative.

It’s an overwhelming time, and one that demands our most focused energy and well-nourished attention: From the chaos of back-to-school during a pandemic to national social justice uprisings to the upcoming election, I need all the support to simplify my life wherever I can. Enter this easy, infinitely customizable salad packed with tons of texture and ingredients fresh from my garden—and the surrounding area. Crunchy celery, sweet apples, salty parmesan, spicy radishes, sticky dates, rich roasted macadamia nuts, tangy lemon, and the unifying force of olive oil make this salad just about perfect.

I’ve spent the past nine months of the year collaborating with with Foodland—my favorite local grocery store—and the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture to explore what it means to me to #EatLocalToday here on Maui. Often, that looks like foraging in my own garden for greens, radishes, herbs, and citrus. But eating local goes way beyond my backyard. It also means discovering ingredients grown in Hawai’i and featured at my local Foodland, where they’re always showcasing new products. Wanting something crunchy and satisfying to add to this salad, macadamia nuts from MacFarms, grown on the Big Island, were a must.

You can mix and match in myriad ways with this salad: No celery leaves? Try parsley. No celery? Maybe fennel, or red cabbage. Try pear instead of apple, or maybe even persimmon. No parmesan? Cheddar would be amazing. And pretty much any nut you can imagine would be truly excellent. As your own personal #EatLocalToday challenge, I encourage you to find some locally grown nuts to try—hazelnuts in Oregon, for example, or walnuts or almonds in California.

The other thing I love about this salad is that it keeps super well, and it’s just as good the next day as it is the first. Truly. We love leftovers, don’t we?

If you decide to make this perfect salad, tag me on Instagram @lilydiamond. And don’t miss the step-by-step video I posted there as well. I’m excited to see what local ingredients you use from where you live.

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CRUNCHY APPLE, DATE & CELERY SALAD.

This crunchy salad is packed with flavor and texture: apples, dates, parmesan, celery, and toasted nuts make it easy and totally addictive.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups finely chopped celery stalks and leaves or a mix of chopped celery and flat-leaf parsley
• 1 medium-large apple, cored and chopped, peel on
• 6 large dates, pitted and chopped I used medjool
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1 cup chopped, roasted macadamia nuts or any nut local to you
• 1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1 lemon
• healthy drizzle olive oil
• flaky sea salt, to taste

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix the chopped celery and leaves (or parsley), chopped apple, chopped dates, sliced radishes, roasted nuts, and parmesan cheese. Toss well to combine, unsticking the dates from each other.
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top of the salad, using one or both lemon halves, to taste. Careful to remove any seeds.
• Drizzle with olive oil, and add a couple healthy pinches of flaky sea salt. Mix the salad well, and taste. Adjust lemon juice and salt as needed.
• Serve immediately. Salad keeps very well in the fridge for up to three days.

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