One of my favourite things to do after visiting Whole Foods is to re-create salad bar foods or specialty products at home for much less money. Or at least, that’s my good intention until I get home and I can’t remember the ingredient list!
Not last night. :)
Thanks Eric!
After we dined – Eric on pizza and me on the hot & cold salad bar – I picked up the ingredients for the Detox Salad and vowed to make it when I got home that night. I was literally bursting with energy after eating this salad and I knew that it would make a really great “feel-good”, make-ahead lunch.
Whole Foods salads typically have short ingredient lists as well as vegan and wheat-free options. They are the perfect inspiration for salads at home when you’re getting bored of the usual lettuce and vegetable routine.
But why call it a detox salad?
World’s Healthiest Foods reports that cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, watercress, and mustard greens) are said to be detoxifying because they provide support for the immune system, inflammatory system, hormonal system, detoxification system, and antioxidant system (source). These vegetables contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals as well as phytonutrients. For example, one such group of phytonutrients found in cruciferous vegetables are called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are thought to have anti-cancer properties in a variety of research studies (source). World’s healthiest Foods also suggest consuming 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables each week for maximum benefit.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had raw broccoli or cauliflower! They are definitely not my favourite vegetables, but they were great in this salad.
When re-creating something at home, keep in mind that ingredients are listed in order of weight. This will help guide you with how much of each you should use.
I started with the primary ingredients- broccoli and cauliflower. I used a head of cauliflower and two heads (which was one ‘bunch’) of broccoli. I actually ended up having a bit more cauliflower than broccoli, but it wasn’t a big deal.
I usually don’t like eating big hunks of raw broccoli and cauliflower, but it was great shredded up. I processed it in the food processor until fine. If you don’t have a processor, feel free to get your chop on!
Up next on the ingredient list: Carrots.
I plucked these babies straight from the garden. I think they are the last ones….sniff, sniff. :\
I processed the carrots just like the broccoli and cauliflower and used about 2.5 cups of shredded carrots. I added it a cup at a time until it looked like enough!
Then came the sunflower seeds, currants, parsley, and raisins. This is when it really starts to come together. The currants and raisins add a really nice sweetness to the salad and I wouldn’t recommend skipping them.
I couldn’t find kelp granules at Whole Foods (and the worker told me they didn’t have any), so I just used Herbamare since it has kelp in it. Kelp is also said to be detoxifying. I did pick up a bag of whole kelp pieces though. I wonder if I could process this into granules?
I added fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and Herbamare all to taste.
I served it with a drizzle of pure maple syrup to balance out the lemon juice. Yum!
Detox Salad
Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free.
Packing a powerhouse of nutrients, this light & energizing salad will have you bursting with energy. It makes a lot so you can enjoy it all week long for easy, energizing lunches. I wouldn’t recommend skipping the currants and raisins as it adds a much needed sweetness to balance out the vegetables and lemon juice. I loved it drizzled with a touch of maple syrup just before serving. Feel free to use any herbs and spices you wish. I also love it with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
Inspired by Whole Foods
Yield: 10 cups (lots for the whole week!!)
Ingredients:
- 2 heads broccoli (1 bunch), stems removed
- 1 head cauliflower, stems removed
- 2.5 cups shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup currants
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
- kosher salt, pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp salt and lots of pepper)
- kelp granules or Herbamare (optional), to taste
- Pure maple syrup, to drizzle on before serving
1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Add into large bowl.
2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl. Do the same with the carrots.
3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.
4. Drizzle with maple syrup to taste.
Note: I saved the stems for a stir-fry later on in the week.
Enjoyed with Sencha green tea. :)
~~~
Thank you all so much for your comments in my health issues post. I’m still working my way through them and wanted you to know how much I appreciate your support, stories, and experiences. I had my ultrasounds yesterday and I should know my results by Thursday. Today, I meet with the naturopath! Can’t wait to hear what he says.
This looks delicious! I’ve never actually eaten raw cauliflower before but I figure that since I eat so much of it cooked, it’ll be fine. I want to try this ASAP.
This looks soooo good. I’m not a fan of raw cauliflower and broccoli either, but it looks good chopped up so small. I’m transitioning to a mostly plant-based diet, and I’ve found the food processor is my new best friend. Thanks for sharing!
I make this at home too. It’s one of the only things I get at their salad bar!!
I always wonder if the kale, etc…on their salad bar is organic. It does not say that it is!
i just made this and subbed apples for raisins and walnuts for sunflower seeds. YUM. thanks for all of the great + healthy recipes!
This looks like my kind of salad and who doesn’t need some detox after a yummy sweets filled vacation? Well, I will, that’s for sure. I’ve still got a few days of Oceanside bliss to go, so for now, I will just have to add your link to my Must-Make-It page (http://wp.me/P1OnhQ-2h) Thanks for sharing!
Enjoying this delicious salad right now.
I love this salad. I recreated one that was made with peanuts currants and wheat berries in a thai vinaigrette, also from WF, it was delicious. I love the use of broccoli and cauliflower in this recipe. It’s definitely something I could eat more of.
This is random, but a friend of yours also has a food blog that I loved and can’t remember the name now. I had it bookmarked on my computer but after taking it in to get fixed I came home and realized they erased everything!! I remember reading on her blog about a friend coming over, and having your cooking adventures and then I realized the friend was you! : )
I have half the ingredients for this salad on hand, so I am off the get the rest now! Yum!
Just made your salad- turned out great!! The syrup adds such a surprising finishing touch! Thanks for the recipe!
Hahaha, Angela, I have the exact same WF ingredient snapshot on my iphone. Once again you’ve read my mind and posted EXACTLY what I was looking for!! xo
the other day at WF I was staring at the garlicky kale salad ingredients (my FAVORITE thing ever) and thinking, heck yes, I could totally make this!! But hey, if you beat me too it, I wouldn’t mind at all :)
I’m so intrigued every time you post a salad recipe. Your combinations are always so amazing!
that salad looks AMAZING!
http://milk-and-tea.blogspot.com
Do you think this would still be yummy if I put dried blueberries in it?
I think it would!
I can’t wait to try this.. I’ve been looking for a detox salad that didn’t cost a fortune and could be altered at home to my tastes… I think I’ll leave the broccoli and cauliflower a little chunkier because i love those raw! Detox that tastes good and looks good too!
This salad is great with a splash or two of apple cider vinegar, also :) Next time I make this I’m going to add some apples too!! Yum, thanks for the recipe Angela!
I buy this salad all the time at WF’s. I LOVE it! I also have good intentions of going home and recreating it but have not yet. I think I will have to now. Thanks!
I made this salad yesterday and it was great! A few people at my school liked it as well! ;)
Thanks for another AMAZING salad! My husband I just ate it and are in heaven! You are seriously talented:)
So happy you enjoyed it! :) I’m even more happy your husband did too.
I’ve wanted to try this one out since you posted it, but never got round until just now. I halved the ingredients because I didn’t feel like eating the same salad three days in a row, and now I’ve already polished off half of it and have to force myself to not eat the other half which is supposed to be my work lunch tomorrow. Next time I’ll use the original measures for sure…it’s delicious! I’m not vegan (or vegetarian) but your blog gives me really creative ideas what to do with veg. Thanks!
Sadly no Whole Foods here..so huge thank you for sharing something new to me and delicious..and super healthy! I used cranberries instead of raisins and currants and apple cider vinegar with a drizzle of honey for the dressing..so good..thanks again..have a great week :)
Like others, I’m glad I’m not the only one who looks at ingredient labels for cheaper inspiration. Definitely going to try this, it’s ages since I’ve had a good raw salad like this.
I found your blog about 3 days ago and am so excited I have! I made the switch to vegan October 1 and was looking for lots of blogs to help support this lifestyle change. I have found so many exciting things to try on your blog. I made this salad for lunch and it was perfect. I typically do not love raw broccoli either, but in this it was perfect. I put just a pinch of cinnamon and a teaspoon of maple syrup and really enjoyed it. Thank you! I’m so glad you’re out there!
I’m glad you’re out there too! Thank you Sarah :)
I made this salad on Saturday…my husband (and I) loved it! He took the rest of it to work this morning. Thank-you so much! He is already requesting me to make it again.
I was pretty skeptical of this salad (well, raw cauliflower in general) but decided to try it since broccoli, cauliflower, and parsley were on sale. I’m glad I did, because it’s absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
I love doing the same thing at Whole Foods and yes, I can never remember the ingredients list. You are a life saver! My husband is a big meat eater and the main cook in the house as I tend to our toddler. However, I’m really starting to feel the effects (sluggishness) weighing me down. I tried this recipe from their salad bar one day and loved it! Yes, it does have great energy!! Thanks so much for doing the leg work and posting this recipe!! All best….
Hey Tina, I hope you enjoy the salad!
Hey Angela, I just made this tonight and it is absolutely wicked! I never thought raw cauliflower could be so good as the main ingredient in a salad. Thanks much for sharing that recipe. :)
It shall make an appearance on my blog sometime soon!
I made this for lunch and added a little balsamic and honey for flavor rather than Maple Syrup. Delicious! Am going to eat this with baked tofu tonight for dinner.
I cant wait to try these recipes!:)
Got almost everything to make a big batch of this for my lunches at work this week. Couldn’t find currants, and I don’t care for raisins, but would craisins work (died cranberries)? I’ve been wanting to try this since I read this post.
PS: Started making your no-bake Chocolate Mousse, and got as far as the crust, but my avocados weren’t ripe enough. The crust was great, though. Time will tell about the mousse! LOL I love your blog. It gets me through the long workday. :-)
Cannot wait to try this!! Looks so good – I’ve never seen it at my local Whole Foods. Also wanted to say thanks for the personal story on your stomach issues. I too have the same issues (my mother and sister both have it too) and have been trying to sort things out with a naturopath and acupuncturist – it isn’t easy! I completely feel your frustration and pain!!
Just made a version of this salad and it’s AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I made this salad today. My husband and I loved it! It’s the perfect combination of raw and sweet. I really liked it with cinnamon. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Glad to hear that!
Thanks for this post. I just had the detox salad for the first time. Like you, I too find joy in recrreating dishes from Whole Foods fresh bars. It was soo good I decided to google it, & found your site. So thanks again!
This looks amaaaaaaazing! I can’t wait to try this and I hope you don’t mind me pinning the link to your page on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing this! =)
thanks for the pin!
lol – way too funny, was just at whole foods this morning and saw this salad. never thought of recreating it, but now I may.
I am chewing as I am writing…I know.. breaking major mindful eating laws doing this but had to write as I am loving this.. crazy good.. everything I love.. one-bowl meals are the best. I skipped the maple syrup and added a little tahini at the end.. doubled the parsley b/c I love it so.. added some dried cherries instead of the raisins.. This is that kind of recipe.. I was also dreaming of shredding in some fennel and maybe adding cilantro.
Will be eating this for days ( I made a seriously big bowl..).
Thanks Angela.. love what you’re up to.
Love and blessings,
Lisa
http://www.Intuitivebody.com
Simple Sacred Solutions For Living Beautifully In Your Body
This is a regular purchase for me from Whole Foods. Being that I’m not ambitious enough to try and figure out a recipe, I appreciate that you did it for me. Will try very soon. Thanks.
I just found and made this recipe!!! AAAAMMMAAAAAAZING!!! Thanks!! I always try to visit whole foods when I travel as there is not one close to where I live. : ( I had to substitute a few of the ingredients as I did not have everything on hand. Added pumpkin seeds also and used dried cranberries and Honey (no currants or pure maple syrup on hand). Thanks again for the post
I made a version of this today with cauliflower, kale, carrots and random herbs from my garden. I need a protein so I mixed in a packet of Tina, and OH MY!
Thank you for the inspiration!
Does Cucumbers constitute as a detox food? I absolutely love cucumbers in all my salads!
I just made this, and it was awesome. I couldn’t find dried currants at the store so I substituted dried cranberries, and they worked quite well.
dried curants taste almost exactly like rasins but mini size just to let you know
made this today. wow it’s so yummy. I want to mix it with toasted buckwheat
Sucha a great salad/meal afte to have after all the holiday festivities and soooo yummy!
Hey Angela! I’m not sure I can find currants… what could I put instead? Thanks!! :)
I have never used kelp. Does it taste fishy in this salad? I am off to get the ingredients for supper!
Thanks
Kelp isnt essential for this salad by any means. I didnt have any when I made it. It does have a bit of a foshy flavour (or seaweed perhaps!), so its a personal preference thing.
I made this and have eaten three servings of it in three days. It keeps quite well. I didn’t have any kelp, and it needed a little something else, so I added some ground ginger. I plan to look for kelp for the next time…and there will be a next time. I’m not a big cauliflower fan, but it works well here. I did my chopping in the blender, which made this really easy to make. Thanks for recreating this nice salad!
Angela, thank you for this recipe. I used what I already had in the house and substituted fresh squeezed OJ for the lemon juice, dried cranberries for currants and raisins, and pepitas for sunflower seeds, and this was an amazing salad. Very satisfying!
I was skeptical of this one but I trusted you Angela. I’m crunching away on this yummy salad right now. Thanks.
I just made this, and I have to say, it is absolutely DELICIOUS! I portioned it all out for lunches this week, but I’m going back to the store for more broccoli and cauliflower tomorrow, because I fully intend to make more of this. The seasonings are so simple and delicious.
By the way, absolutely love your website. I’m starting on a new vegan lifestyle, and your website has been an absolute godsend. Thank you for all you do.
Hey Allison, So glad to hear that! Thank you for your kind words too :)