Super Tasty Detox Salad- What Makes a Good Salad?

Veronica's Healthy Living
This month marks the month where salads all over the world are celebrated! And what a better place to celebrate then here in this group when talking about detox! If carefully thought out, every salad you craft can be a detoxing, rejuvenating piece of nutrition.
Prep Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup kale chopped
  • 1 cup white cabbage chopped
  • 1 cup red cabbage chopped
  • 1 cup broccoli florets chopped lighlty
  • 1 cup Brussels sprouts chopped
  • ½ cup carrots shredded
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
  • ½ cup walnuts chopped
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 4 cups dark leafy lettuce or greens (spinach, arugula, water cress)

Dressing Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp MCT oil or olive oil
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger
  • 3 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tsp honey
  • tsp sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Mix all chopped vegetables together in a large bowl.
  • Food processor works great to chop the vegetables. Just be careful not to chop too finely.
  • Add nuts separately to chopped vegetables. 
  • In a separate bowl, mix all dressing ingredients and add to salad bowl. Mix thoroughly. 
  • Serve over dark leafy salad greens, with slice of lemon, and dash of cayenne pepper.  Enjoy!

Notes

When detoxing, we want to add foods that are:
  • easily digestible (salads – check!)
  • packed full of rich nutrients (salads – check!)
  • light and low in calories, (salads – check!)
  • and of course, they must be delicious! (salads – check!)
In order to make a tasty and satiable salad that keeps you coming back for more, it must include all 6 of the following tastes:
  • Sweet  – builds tissues, calms nerves, ex. Tomatoes, dried or fresh fruit, grains, legumes, and certain starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets)
  • Sour – cleanses tissues, increases absorption of minerals (ex. Lemon/lime juice, citrus fruits, sour milk products like yogurt, cheese, and sour cream, and fermented foods, such as wine, vinegar, pickles, sauerkraut, and soy sauce
  • Salty – improves taste to food, lubricates tissues, stimulates digestion (ex. Natural salts, sea vegetables, such as kelp)
  • Bitter – detoxifies and lightens tissues (ex. Dark leafy greens, herbs and spices
  • Pungent – stimulates digestion and metabolism (ex. Chili peppers, garlic, legumes, vegetables, such as herbs and spices)
  • Astringent – absorbs water, tightens tissues, dries fats (ex. Legumes, raw fruits and vegetables, such as cranberries, pomegranates, pears, dried fruit, and broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, asparagus, turnip, as well as many beans
This salad contains all of the above characteristics, and is a super detox food as the high-nutrient ingredients help give the body what it is to open the detox pathways, nourish organs, and eliminate toxins.  So dig in!