Salad Challenge

Salad Detox

Here are 7 delicious salads to get you started on your challenge. Please feel free to add protein, and remember to have fun!

The winner of the FREE two-week training sessions will be announced following the challenge.

Salad Detox

Quinoa, Apple and Almond Salad

This Quinoa, Apple and Almond Salad with Honey Lemon Mint Vinaigrette makes a delicious, healthy lunch or side dish that you will love.

Ingredients

-3 cups cooked quinoa

-¼ cup scallions, sliced thin

-1 granny smith apple, diced

-½ cup dried cranberries

-¼ cup almonds, toasted, rough chopped

Honey lemon mint vinaigrette:

-3 tablespoons honey, preferably mild, such as wildflower

-2 tablespoons fresh mint

-¼ cup lemon juice

-3 tablespoons warm water

-¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

-salt and black pepper to taste

Strawberry Mache Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette and Almond Brittle

Ever tried strawberry with greens? Simply ahh-mazing! Juicy strawberries, tender greens, kiwifruit, and goji berries with poppy seed vinaigrette. It’s dessert on your plate. Yea, right. And the proverbial icing on the cake? Almond brittle!

Ingredients

For almond brittle

-1/3 cup slivered almonds

-1 ½ tablespoons sugar

Poppy seed vinaigrette:

-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

-1 tablespoon white vinegar

-1 ½ teaspoons sugar

-¼ teaspoon paprika

-¼ teaspoon salt

-pinch Kashmiri chili powder

-1 teaspoon poppy seeds

For Salad:

-3 cups loosely packed mache, cleaned and trimmed

-1 kiwi, peeled, quartered and sliced

-1 cup fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced lengthwise

-1 tablespoon goji berries

Kale Detox Salad

This kale detox salad is super nourishing without skimping on flavor. You’ll love the combo of crunchy raw vegetables, marinated mushrooms and roasted Brussels sprouts tossed in a light balsamic dressing.

Ingredients

-1 bunch of lacinato kale, de-stemmed and chopped into bite size pieces

-4 ounces baby mixed greens, spinach or 4 additional ounces of kale

-1 cup chopped red cabbage

-2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler or spiralized

-1 cup cooked black beans

-4 small (or 2 large) portobello caps, sliced

-1/2 red bell pepper, chopped or sliced

-1 bunch Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and quartered

-2-3 teaspoons olive or avocado oil

-1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

-1 avocado, sliced

Balsamic Dressing:

-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

-juice of 1/2 a lemon

-2 Tablespoons olive oil

-2 Tablespoons maple syrup

-1 teaspoon minced garlic

-1 teaspoon dijon mustard

-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

-1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Marinate the mushrooms: simply whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and place mushrooms into the bowl to marinate. Stir occasionally (or shake if you’re using a sealable container) to make sure all the pieces are getting coated in the dressing. The mushrooms should marinate anywhere from 1 hour to overnight.

2. Roast the sprouts: Preheat oven to 375°. Toss chopped brussels sprouts in 2-3 teaspoons of oil and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper. Add to a baking sheet and roast for 40-45 minutes (tossing occasionally) or until brussels sprouts are tender and brown.

3. After marinating the mushrooms, add the mushrooms and remaining dressing into a large bowl with all the rest of the salad ingredients.

4. Mix everything together. A large tupperware container works great for this because you can put the lid on it and shake all the ingredients to mix them up, but if you don’t have one, stirring everything together in a big salad bowl with a spoon will work.

5. You can let the salad marinate a bit more before serving (this will help to soften the kale a bit) or you can serve immediately. To serve, place salad portion on a plate or bowl and top with an extra slice of avocado and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.

6. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. You should be able to get at least 2-3 large salads out of it.

Shredded Vegetable Detox Salad

Shredded Vegetable Detox Salad

Here’s a salad that shreds everything up so that it’s all mixed together and easier to chew. When you’re talking about things like broccoli and cauliflower, that’s a good things as these veggies are notorious for taking a lot of crunching power. The recommendation of making a big batch and eating on it for the next few days is a good one, and to overcome the dryness they suggest drizzling olive oil and lemon juice, two additional ingredients that will help the detox cause, not hurt it. Overall this salad makes a great food item to have around anytime you need a pick me up.

Ingredients

-3/4 lb carrots

-2 bunches broccoli, roughly chopped

-1 head cauliflower

-1/2 bunch kale

-1/2 cup fresh parsley

-1/2 cup sunflower seeds

-1-1 1/2 cups raisins

-1/4 cup olive oil (add more as needed)

-juice from 1-2 lemons

-salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Using the shredding attachment for your food processor, shred the carrots. Add to a large bowl and set aside.

2. Switch to the regular food processor blade and add the broccoli. Process until in tiny pieces (you may need to do a few batches of the broccoli). Add to the bowl with the carrots.

3. Repeat step 2 with the cauliflower. Repeat again with the kale, and then the parsley.

4. Add the raisins and sunflowers seeds to the large bowl with all of the vegetables. Toss to combine. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, stirring to mix well. Season with salt & pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Carrot Miso Dressing

Ingredients

Carrot Miso Dressing:

-1 cup chopped carrots

-1 shallot, chopped

-1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or chopped

-3 Tablespoons white miso paste

-2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

-1 teaspoon sesame oil

-1/4 cup oil

-Up to 1/4 cup water

Everyday Detox Salad with Carrot Miso Dressing:

-Spinach

-Thinly sliced red onion

-Chopped cherry tomatoes

-Chopped cucumbers

-Carrot miso dressing

-Chopped cilantro

-Salt and pepper

Dressing: (Yield)

About 1-1/2 cups, enough dressing for about 6-8 salads

Instructions:

To make the dressing combine the carrots, shallot, ginger, miso, rice vinegar and sesame oil in a blender. Process until nearly smooth and then slowly add the oil. Continue to process until smooth and then add the water, one Tablespoon at a time, until the dressing has reached your desired consistency.

To make the salad combine the spinach, red onion, tomatoes and cucumbers in a large bowl. Drizzle with carrot miso dressing and top with chopped cilantro. Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Salad

This salad is called Happy Salad because it will make your body happy.

Ingredients

-3 carrots, peeled

-¼ to ⅓ of a head of green cabbage

-5 green onions, sliced, white and light green parts only

-1 crown of broccoli (one big cluster of florets...not the big giant head)

-3 tablespoons maple syrup

-2 teaspoons fresh grated or minced ginger

-1 garlic clove, minced

-1 teaspoons lemon zest

-juice from ½ a lemon

-salt and pepper, to taste

-¼ cup sunflower seed kernels, or to taste (I like a lot)

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor pulse the cabbage until it is a very fine chop. Remove the cabbage to a large bowl. Process the carrots until they are chopped very fine and remove them to the same bowl. Process the broccoli until it is chopped very fine and remove it to the bowl containing the cabbage and carrots. Add the sliced green onions.

3. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, ginger, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk the dressing thoroughly and add it to the bowl containing the vegetables. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top.