Start your year off with the Ultimate Detox Salad. It's filled with detoxifying vegetables and tossed with a lemon ginger turmeric salad dressing. Made in 10 minutes for a delicious, hearty, and healthy meal.
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Welcome to the ANNUAL My Darling Vegan 30 day cleanse!
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I kick off every year with a 30-day health challenge as a way to cleanse my body and mind while creating a wholesome and healthy habit in the new year. And, I think you should join me.
All month I'll be creating delicious plant-based, gluten-free, no refined sugar recipes to help you on your way towards a healthy 2019. And if you need a little extra help, make grab a copy of my FREE Clean Eating Vegan ebook by signing up for the MDV Newsletter below.
So let's the started! We are kicking off the 2019 30-day cleanse with a bang. Why, it's the ULTIMATE DETOX SALAD, my friends. Made with all the best detoxifying foods, all tossed with a Ginger Lemon Turmeric dressing, this Detox Salad will get you started on the right foot this year.
Let's take a closer look at this beast of a salad.
What is a Detox salad?
A detox salad combines all of the best foods - these are foods that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc. while having purifying qualities that flush the body of harmful toxins and free radicals - and puts them into one giant bowl.
Common detox foods include:
- Kale
- Beets
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Broccoli
- Almonds
And that's just the tip of the iceberg! For a more complete list, check out this Ultimate Detox Diet Food List; it's one of my go-to resources. Detox foods play a variety of roles in cleaning out the body and eliminating toxins while being some of the most nutrient-rich foods around.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This detox salad has 15 detoxifying foods that may leave you feeling refreshed and energetic, thus making it the ULTIMATE Detox Salad.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Kale – Curly kale is my kale of choice for this salad but any kale will do.
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Vegetables - I like to use a mixture of red cabbage, carrots, avocado, green onions, broccolini, and radishes. These are all highly detoxifying foods however each one of these can easily be swapped out for other vegetables or omitted.
- Herbs - Fresh mint and cilantro.
- Sunflower Seeds - You could also use sesame seeds, pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds.
- Lemon Ginger Dressing - This is a homemade dressing that includes olive oil, lemon juice, freshly grated ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, turmeric, salt, and pepper. To save on time, you could look for a lemon dressing at the store.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you will need basic cooking equipment including a mixing bowls, and kitchen utensils. You will also need a large salad bowl, a chef’s knife, and a cutting board. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make the Ultimate Detox Salad
Not only is this salad packed with nutrient-dense foods that will leave you feeling great, but this salad is also SUPER EASY to make. It can be made in just about 10 minutes for a wholesome and hearty midday meal.
Step One - Massage the Kale
To eat raw kale, it's important that we give it a gentle massage. A simple massage helps to break down the toughness and bitterness while releasing sweetness and tenderness into the leaves, greatly enhancing the flavor and texture.
To massage it, finely chop the kale and place it in a large bowl. Next, drizzle it with a little olive oil and salt. I like adding lemon here as well for extra flavor, but that’s not necessary. The oil and salt help break down the leaf’s toughness allowing it to tenderize even more.
As you massage the kale you will notice the leaves get more vibrantly green with a bit of silky shine. The kale will also shrink in volume as the leaves tenderize. (See pictures above)
Step Two - Remaining Ingredients
Add the remaining ingredients. That's all the vegetables, sunflower seeds, and fresh herbs.
Feel free to get creative here. Feel free to swap vegetables and herbs for alternatives. Just reference your Detox Diet Food List for alternatives.
Step Three - Add the Lemon Ginger Dressing.
Now let's talk a moment about this salad dressing. The salad dressing has 3 IMPORTANT detoxifying ingredients - that's the ginger, lemon, and turmeric - making it one of the BEST detox salad dressings. Here are a few benefits of these incredible foods:
Ginger - Ginger is filled with antioxidants, stimulates digestion and circulation, cleanses the body of toxins and free radicals, has mega anti-inflammatory properties, lowers blood sugar, and cholesterol.
Lemon - Lemon is filled with Vitamin C for a powerful immunity booster, improves digestive health, aids in digestion, and helps to control weight.
Turmeric - Turmeric is one of best-known anti-inflammatories which helps kill free radicals and improve overall health, it's filled with antioxidants, good for the heart, skin, and brain, and is believed to even help battle depression.
With these three detoxifiers, you've got yourself one powerful salad dressing. Make the salad dressing by blending the ingredients together until you have a smooth, creamy, pourable dressing. Once blended, add it to the salad and toss everything together.
Serving and Storing
Serve salad immediately. This is a big salad. On its own, it is enough for 2 servings. It will serve 4 if you're serving it as part of a larger meal.
Store leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Store salad dressing separating for up to 2 weeks.
More 30 Day Cleanse Recipes
- Rainbow Nourish Bowl
- Mediterranean Rice and Lentils Plate
- Green Goddess Buddha Bowl
- Raw Pad Thai
- Vegetable Detox Soup
- Sweet Potato & Kale Curry
The Ultimate Detox Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
Lemon Ginger Dressing
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste
Detox Salad
- 4 large leaves curly kale, de-stemmed
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups red cabbage, thinly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled into thin strips
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 rounded cup broccolini, chopped
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 small avocado, cubed
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
Instructions
- Blend together the ingredients for the dressing in a small blender and set aside.
- Finely chop kale and place it in a large salad bowl along with 1 teaspoon olive oil and salt. Gently massage the kale between your fingers for 2-3 minutes until the kale is darker, tender, and shiny.
- Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss together with the Lemon Ginger Dressing.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 2 days.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Lisa M Oslon says
So great! I made it for my book club and had to send out the recipe link to everyone because it was lived by all.
Shevawn says
Just loved the hits of mint and cilantro in the salad. Delish!
Tanya says
We are a vegan family, and we all love this salad! I should have reviewed this years ago, so people would know this is your BEST option for a detox salad. This is my favorite go-to detox salad. The dressing is divine! Leaves you feeling healthy, light, and satisfied. Actually, many of your recipes are bookmarked! Thank
You! Thank you!
Lisa says
Amazing! I have it once a week. It is so nourishing!
Towana J Kemp says
I have a question if I only want to make this salad dressing could I just put in a bottle and how long would it last in a mason jar
Susan says
I'd like to know also; I just made the dressing with agave and parsley since I had no maple or cilantro and I'm blown away by how good it tastes. My apple cider vinegar says Best by 2025 but I think I can taste it a lot more than I should which could mean my ACV is spoiling but not so much that I would throw out this amazing dressing I just made. I dumped out the PF Chang's Creamy Ginger Dressing so I could use the bottle to store this dressing. Thank you, again
Pamela Ann Kephart-Bailey says
Love the recipe. Thank you..
If someone were trying to cook without the oil is there a substitution for that in the dressing and also for tenderizing the kale.
IttefaqSalt says
Thanks for sharing this recipe and all the information.
Qunol says
Here are a few more ideas for other anti-inflammatory foods!
Stephanie says
When i calculate the calories for this i come up with 562 per serving which is substantially higher.. Are you sure the nutritional facts are correct?
Sarah says
I use a calorie counter to come up with these numbers however calorie counters can sometimes be erroneous.
Jennifer Bliss says
LOVE what's IN the bowl and the bowl itself!!!! Lovely! Happy New Year! I'm back blogging - sorry it's been so long since my last comment!