Warmer weather is gracing us with its presence. So, it’s a great time to swap out cold-weather comfort foods with lighter, fresher ingredients. Here, we’ve cultivated an all-star list of eight “detox” salad recipes so you can get yourself into gear for those sunny days at the beach! Packed with vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants, these nourishing yet truly refreshing recipes are the key to revitalizing your system. Here’s to feeling a little more weightless this spring!
Arugula, Cabbage, Avocado Salad with Grapes
Five supremely fresh and flavorful ingredients come together in perfect harmony in this simple, cleansing salad. Crunchy, colorful cabbage boosts this recipe’s antioxidant power, infusing it with properties that naturally ward off toxic compounds in the body. Arugula adds a peppery bite, and also provides a cancer-fighting component called sulforaphane. Vitamin C, anyone? This salad also contains tangy, zesty lemon. And, of course, there’s the smooth and rich avocado and the sweet and fruity grapes. Packed with all of these health supportive ingredients and refreshing flavors…what else is there?!
Early Spring Roasted Vegetable Salad
Pan roasting spring vegetables like asparagus, snow peas and cauliflower is a surefire way to transition your cold weather go-tos into more refreshing springtime alternatives. This one we call somewhat of a hybrid. Toss these “caramelized” nutrient-rich veggies over light salad greens with dill and lemon juice (citrus = vitamin C, an antioxidant), and you’ll have your next warm weather hit!
Chopped Kale Salad with Thai Sesame Dressing
Feel cleansed and lighter with this super simple chopped kale salad. Carrots and almonds give it a fresh crunch, and the Asian-inspired dressing turns up the volume on flavor. Plus, this salad features both lemon and ginger, a powerful dynamic duo when it comes to detoxification. Hold on, we’re not done yet — apple cider vinegar also makes an appearance in this recipe with proven gut-cleansing properties that will help make your digestive system spick and span. Let’s get choppin’!
This salad just goes to show that “detox” does not necessarily mean you have to go hungry! Cabbage contains powerful players called polyphenols, which act as detoxifying antioxidants. The onions in this dish are anti-inflammatory as well as act as a natural prebiotic to promote healthy gut bacteria. Aside from infusing this salad with protein, cannellini beans (white kidney beans) load this recipe with health supportive, appetite suppressing fiber, which also helps prevent rapid blood sugar spikes. So carpe the cabbage and cannellinis today!
No need to fire up the stove or the oven for this zucchini dish! A trifecta of “courgettes,” including zucchini, cucumber and carrots, show their true, raw colors in this Thai salad. Aside from being naturally hydrating, these vegetables are packed with vitamins A and C, essential for eye health, immunity, and combatting harmful oxidation in the body! Furthermore, the super flavorful dressing utilizes tahini, a rich sesame seed paste full of phosphorus, potassium and iron. Ginger is also included here, a warm and spicy detox staple. Get out those spiralizers — you won’t be sorry! (Check out this spiralizer for easy prep!)
Rainbow Veggie Noodles Salad with Asian Sauce
If you’re looking for a fresh spin on your favorite noodle dish, zucchini noodles (“zoodles”) are a fantastic alternative. Rich in antioxidants, folate, and potassium (and extremely low in calories), zucchini noodles are truly a prime example of nutrient density. This recipe also features beetroot, which packs a punch with folate, fiber, manganese and calcium. Let’s not forget the avocado, a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. This rainbow “noodle” salad is a refreshingly light, healthful twist on regular old spaghetti.
Strawberry Watermelon Basil Salad
It doesn’t get simpler than this: strawberries, watermelon and basil. Seriously — that’s it. Toss these healthful ingredients together, and you’ve got the most straightforward salad “cleanse” we could ever envision. Strawberries are teeming with antioxidants, and watermelon is famous for its fruitful dose of lycopene, a special phytochemical that helps to keep the body clean and healthy. Aside from adding a sweet, fragrant note, basil also boosts this salad’s vitamin K content. For this, your circulatory system will thank you. In less than five minutes, you’re on your way to total body purification with this fierce fruit salad.
Fresh Dandelion and Radish Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Dandelions are no longer just a pretty yellow flower that blossoms in grassy fields in the spring and summer. Chock full of calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C, dandelion greens offer some fierce competition when it comes to salad greens selection. They also boast liver-cleansing properties. If you’re looking to clean up your act this spring, toss these greens together with radishes and a gut-supportive apple cider vinaigrette, and voila! Detox salad a la dandelion.
Discover more healthy and delicious salad recipes in Easy Salad Recipes Cookbook.
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Note: PLEASE consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medications. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only, and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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