Detox Kale Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

This detox kale salad is all sorts of crunchy & tangy… and it is suitable for Whole30, vegan, Paleo, gluten-free & grain-free diets!

After having amazing success with the Zesty Ginger Spring Love Your Liver 18-day detox program, I decided to join the summer session too! I’m taking what I learned about myself during the first program and applying it to this one.

You can read all about the health benefits I received from the program HERE

That means I’ve allowed myself some very dark chocolate during the detox because it makes an elimination diet a lot easier for me. I’ve been keeping up with all the dry brushing, oil pulling, rebounding & teas and tonics the program suggests. I’ve even been able to reintroduce foods that I hadn’t eaten in years like ghee and legumes!

I’ve also continued to include foods I otherwise didn’t eat frequently but add to my happiness & health! Like the pepitas and hemp seeds in this salad. Crunchy, nutritious & adds texture to even the blandest of side salads.

This salad is far from bland though! The Creamy Lemon Dressing adds some tang and sweetness (from the coconut butter) without being super oily like a traditional dressing. Crunch from the broccoli and seeds makes for a big, satisfying mouthful of liver detoxifying greens!

Add some protein! Grilled chicken would be delicious here…. as would some broiled salmon!

I get this question all the time when I post raw kale salads on Instagram: Can you eat that with Hashimoto’s?

There’s a long-standing belief that if you have Hashimoto’s or hypothyroidism it’s best to avoid cruiciferous vegetables until cooked. Cooking cruciferous veggies decreases the goitrogenic effect. Goitrogens in food can block iodine absorption, which is a cause of hypothyroidism is non-Westernized parts of the world.

The thing is… my case of Hashimoto’s is not caused by iodine deficiency. I have autoimmune thyroiditis and you can learn more about the case from my podcast episode on The Unbound Healing Podcast!  In fact, I just had my blood markers done and my iodine level was excellent. And that’s eating raw kale salads weekly as well as adding greens like spinach, arugula and kale to my morning smoothies.

Okay, now go get your crunch on!

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Kale Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

★★★★★ 4.3 from 11 reviews

• Author: Alaena Haber
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 to 4 1x
• Cuisine: salad

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Description

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 bunch curly kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup roasted & salted pepitas
• 3 tablespoons raw hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Creamy Lemon Dressing:

• 1/4 cup coconut butter or manna
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 peeled garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

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Instructions

1. Wash and dry kale. Remove ribs and thinly slice kale leaves. Place in a large salad bowl. 
2. Massage kale with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil until softened. 
3. Make the Creamy Lemon Dressing: Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. 
4. Add broccoli florets to the dressing in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Combining the broccoli with the dressing coats the salad nicely and evenly distributes the crunchy goodness. 
5. Toss the pepitas, hemp seeds and cilantro with the kale and broccoli/dressing until combined. Serve room temp or cold.

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Notes