June – Summer Detox Salad

Detox salads are all the rage on the internet and Pinterest. And with good reason. It is summer vacation time, yes? And who doesn’t need an occasional detox after too much summer fun. In fact these salads are a good idea anytime you need to boost your daily dose of fruits and vegetables. There are at least 3 servings of vegetables, plus protein, and fiber…all in a single bowl. Use whatever produce is in season, add some nuts, healthy fat as in avocado, and protein. For this salad I used fresh salmon since it is currently in season, but shrimp or chicken would also work. There is a detox salad for every season. This is a hearty lunch or dinner in a single bowl, you don’t need to be “detoxing” to enjoy it.

A big dose of Southern hospitality has driven me to this summer detox salad. I spent a week catching up with family. It was a week filled with love, wonderful conversation, great food, and celebration. I have two brand new beautiful grandnieces, so we have a lot to be grateful for. My extended family is getting bigger…

And so is my waist.

What did me in? If you are curious here are a few of the highlights:

And, of course, delicious wine.

So, detox salad for a few days seems like a very good idea. I don’t have a “real” recipe for this. It’s a variation of my “everything but the kitchen sink salad“, and a summer version of the “clean out the fridge soup” I make in the winter. Be creative. Use the freshest produce you can find at the store or farmer’s market. Feel free to substitute, the only rule is to use ingredients that are in season. If you can find organic produce, all the better. I harvested the first summer tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden, and added some wild arugula that has become a weed. For a sweet touch and some heft I added the first summer corn, then some sharpness from thinly sliced red onion, crunch from a small handful of nuts, and healthy fat from avocado.

Add some corn.

For protein I used salmon, but shrimp or chicken or even cubed feta would be a delicious substitute.

Let your creative juices run wild, I even tossed in a lonely apricot that needed to be eaten.

Summer Detox Salad

• 3 tomatoes, cubed
• 2 cucumbers, peeled if necessary and cubed
• 2 ears of corn, cooked – they would be delicious grilled, kernels cut from the cob
• 1 red pepper, cubed
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound of fresh salmon, cubed and browned, then drained on paper towels
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 2-3 handfuls of fresh arugula, romaine, or baby spinach1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• Small handful of toasted nuts – pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts or pecans

Dressing

Use a version of my basic vinaigrette, substituting lemon juice for the vinegar in the original recipe.

• 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt to taste, a good pinch
• Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Mix the lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper together in a small jar. Shake well to blend. Add the olive oil and shake again to emulsify. The vinaigrette will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Or, for a dose of fermented food and probiotics, whirl a few tablespoons of fermented lemon pickle with some olive oil and a tablespoon of mayonnaise. A few parsley leaves added a touch of green.

I am taking this to share with the partying group at Angie’s for Fiesta Friday. Come visit Fiesta Friday #125 by clicking on the link. This week’s co-hosts are Quinn @ dadwhats4dinner and Elaine @ Foodbod.