The Holidays Are Almost Over
Oh how I love the holidays! The beautiful decorations, indoors and out. And, of course, all the delicious food that only comes around this time of the year. That, for me, is a good thing.
No matter how many times I tell myself I’ll avoid all the not-so-good-for-me food, I always give into temptation. ALWAYS! I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to making merry. My weakness centers around all those desserts–homemade cookies, cakes and especially pies.
So now that the New Year is hovering, this rainbow detox salad is the perfect way for me to get my diet back on track. At least until the next holiday season.
Detoxifying Foods
I’m starting the new year by focusing on this common list of detox foods. With the exception of kale (I’m not a huge fan), adding them should be easy for me. I love them all! And they all play a huge role in this detox salad.
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Almonds
Check out ultimate detox food list for other foods you can add to your diet.
Detox Salad–Loaded for Health
Detox salad is loaded with green and red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale–a rainbow of fresh cruciferous vegetables. All of these vegetables are loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and antioxidants. And all are perfect to boost your immunity and rid system of the all those toxic “holiday” foods and beverages we consumed.
Check out ultimate detox food list for other foods you can add to your regular diet.
Detox salad is loaded with green and red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale–a rainbow of fresh cruciferous vegetables. All are loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and antioxidants to boost your immunity and rid system of the all those toxic “holiday” substances we’ve been exposed to.
I love anything with cabbage, fresh or cooked. And broccoli and cauliflower go hand in hand when including cruciferous vegetables in my diet.
Not a Kale Fan
I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of kale in any form. Even the all that kale chip fanfare was lost on me.
I understand that kale has loads of antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatories. But I find it super easy to walk right past it in the produce aisle. So adding it to this salad was not something I was crazy about.
But because I know it’s one of those good-for-you foods, I’m trying to add at least a LITTLE kale to my diet. I have a couple of tricks to making kale more palatable.
One thing I’ve done is cut it into really thin and small pieces. The thinner and smaller the better.
I also pour a little olive oil (1 teaspoon) and salt (1/4 teaspoon) on it before preparing the rest of the salad. As the kale “marinates” for about 10 minutes or so, it gets softer and easier for me to like. Kale will never be on my cravings list, but I’m now able to it regularly to my salads without too much complaining.
How to Make Rainbow Detox Salad
First of all, be prepared to do a lot of chopping. Or,if you’re not into chopping by hand, lug out your food processor and the chopping zips along super fast.
- In a blender (or using a handheld stick blender), blend the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
- Place the finely chopped kale in a large salad bowl. Add about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon on salt to the kale. Massage the oil/salt into the kale to coat completely.
- Let kale rest for 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the salad bowl.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine
- Serve immediately.
You can also top this salad with your favorite low-fat vinaigrette if you like.
More Favorite Salads
Crunchy Chopped Vegetable Salad
Delicious Fall Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette
Chopped Autumn Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Rainbow Detox Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- 2 cups green cabbage, chopped
- 2 cups red cabbage, chopped
- 1 medium carrots, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 Tablespoon sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (or both)
Lemon Ginger Dressing
- 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Juice from 1/2 small lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon honey or pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Dressing
- In a blender (or using a handheld stick blender), BLEND the ingredients for the dressing and SET ASIDE.
For the Salad
- PLACE the finely chopped kale in a large salad bowl. ADD 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the kale. MASSAGE into the kale thoroughly. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- ADD the remaining ingredients to the salad bowl. ADD dressing to the salad and TOSS to combine.
- SERVE immediately.
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