Note: for this detox salad, you don’t have to use a food processor. You can chop the broccoli and cauliflower florets by hand into small pieces. Use pre-cut shredded carrots as a short cut (like I did) and this salad can be quite quick to make.
This recipe is out the the 30+ page recipe book from my 7-Day RESET whole-foods cleanse. It’s like hitting the reset button. For 7 days we flood your diet with nutrient-dense detox foods (all real, whole foods, BTW – no juicing required!), bring down inflammation, and boost your energy. Get all the details here.
I’m having fun making these videos. I love that feeling of making something that you had to figure out and feeling like “I DID IT!” Maybe that’s why I like cooking so much….
Anyway, I’d been wanting to make this detox salad recipe I remembered from the Whole Foods salad bar. The one in Dallas used to have it all the time and I loved adding it to my mix of veggies. It added some crunch and density with clearly a bunch of awesome-for-you good stuff if it’s called “detox salad.”
What Makes a Salad a Detox Salad Anyway?
For me, a detox salad should be three things:
- full of color
- varied in texture
- high in fiber
Now let’s break it down…
Color
The more color in a salad or on a plate, the more variety of nutrients you’re getting.
Take carrots – orange. Orange foods are typically high in beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A.
Texture
Different textures mean different nutrients too.
Broccoli and cauliflower are part of the cruciferous family of veggies (think hearty leafy vegs like cabbage and brussels, too) which contain nutrients our bodies use to make glutathione – the body’s master antioxidant. It’s an enzyme our bodies make that’s critical for detoxification. Onions and garlic are helpful in making it too.
Fiber
Fiber is what moves everything right along in your digestive tract. Think of it like the broom coming to sweep it all away and out.
Fiber is especially important when trying to detox because without it toxins have a harder time getting out of your system. And if they’re not getting bound up with fiber and making their way out, toxins can resettle and get re-absorbed back into the body.
All fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber. The best sources (highest in grams per ounce) are beans and lentils.
Technically by that three part definition any salad full of lots of veggies (and even fruits) could be considered a “detox salad.”
I think the more important word in the title though is “delicious” because for something with detox in the name this truly is really tasty.
The Most Delicious Detox Salad
- 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2.5 cups shredded carrots
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 cup raisins
- juice from one lemon (about 4-6 tbsp, to taste)
- sea salt
- black pepper
- extra-virgin olive oil
- In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add to the bowl with the broccoli. Do the same with the carrots.
- Stir in the sunflower seeds, raisins, and herbs. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.
- Drizzle lightly with extra-virgin olive oil.
Pumped about making this. Bought the ingredients yesterday. Looks delicious and exactly what I need to kick my a** in gear from eating like a crazy person savaging for food.
awesome! can’t wait to hear how it turns out. hope you like! and feel ya on the eating like a crazy person. at least this is maybe a good thing to eat like crazy – ha!