Lunchtime is a great time to get your raw energy! Health nuts typically look toward greens for their midday meal. Chlorophyll, from the greeny leafies, is not only one of the best ways to absorb the sun’s energy, it also replenishes our bed blood cells. The kale in this salad nourishes us with high levels of vitamin A, C, and K and minerals copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium.
It’s best to switch up your greens week to week. Personally, I rotate between kale, spinach, arugula and a mixed lettuce blend. However, as much as I love a raw salad at lunch I try to mix other lunch ideas into the rotation. Unless cooked, lots of these raw vegetables are actually considered “goitrogens” which may affect your thyroid. A few months back my thyroid hormones were off the chart and my doctor threatened to destroy my thyroid with radioactive iodine! With some research I discovered goitrogens and how they may inhibit the thyroid from getting the iodine it needs. Make sure your salt is iodized! It’s added for a reason!
This salad was built off of a mix I heard the yoga instructor Rainbeau Mars rave about. She would massage chopped kale with olive oil and lemon juice and then sprinkle with sea salt. Adding avocado was optional. I’ve added a few more ingredients for my go-to salad and personal gluten free dressing.
Gluten Free Salad Dressing:
In a small bowl mix and mash:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 small garlic clove smashed and minced
1 Tbsp. avocado
a sprinkling of salt
For the salad:
Fill a personal salad bowl with washed, chopped and dried greens. If using kale, remove the stems.
Add half of the dressing mix to the salad and massage into salad using your hands or a fork. (Hand massaged kale is way better!) Cover or contain the rest of the dressing for tomorrow’s salad. On the 2nd day, boost the dressing with more olive oil balancing with lemon juice as needed.
Chop off 3, half inch slices of cucumber. Stack slices and cut into cubes.
Cut a half inch slice from the avocado and cube.
Add the cucumber and avocado to the salad.
Top the salad with a small amount each of chopped walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds and raw, unsalted sunflower seeds.
Sprinkle salad with salt (there is an iodized sea salt out there!) and then add the most important ingredient:
Chopped basil!
Mix with fork and prepare yourself to become addicted to this salad!
the gluten free yogi 