Category: Salads

12 Delicious Salad Recipes for Spring

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Can you believe it? It’s officially the first day of spring!

With snow still on the ground and a chill in the air, I’m trying my very best to get into the spring spirit. But being apart of the #SpringSaladCelebration is the perfect way to celebrate the warmer weather approaching and lots of delicious greens on my plate. 

If you’re stuck in a salad rut, then you are going to LOVE all the amazing salads a part of this celebration. 

I find I tend to make the same salads over and over again. It gets kinda boring amiright??

I’m sure you know the feeling – after a long day at work, you want to whip up something healthy but you feel like your creative salad energy is zapped and so you default back to your usual. 

I get it. Between trying to get your kids to eat something green and then of course, trying to whip up a healthy and tasty dressing, what ends up on the plate isn’t all that exciting. 

Well girrrrl, that’s all about to change. Because when nutrition-foodies are put to the test to create something tasty, healthy and all around amazing – you know we’ve got your back. 

Here are 12 incredibly healthy and tasty spring salads brought to you by amazing nutritionists who just looooove their food (especially their greens!):

Aleyda (The Dish On Healthy) – Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad

Jordana Hart (ihartnutrition) – Chickpea Cucumber Salad

Joy McCarthy (Joyous Health) – Spring Inspired Detox Salad

Julie Daniluk – Hot Detox Beet Bop Salad

Kim D’Eon – Shred Into Spring Salad

Marni Wasserman – Zesty Apple Fennel Salad

Marta (Organic Food For Kids) – Spring Asparagus & Spinach Salad

Meghan Telpner (Academy of Culinary Nutrition) – Wild Rice Protein Salad

Rachel Bies (The Healthy Bies) – Sour Cabbage & Fennel Salad

Rachel Molenda – Dandelion Citrus Salad

Sisley Killam (The Pure Life) – Sweet Potato Arugula Quinoa Salad

I’ve got my delicious Kale, Apple & almond Salad recipe below. Get ready to whip up something yummy.

ENJOY!

Tuscan Kale, Apple & Almond Salad
Serves 2
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Prep Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 large bunch Tuscan (Lacinato) kale
  2. 1 medium apple (I used local and organic Ambrosia apples)
  3. 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
  4. 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  5. 2 tbsp organic thompson raisins
  6. 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (optional, but adds the perfect salty bite!)
  7. DRESSING
  8. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  9. 2 teaspoons raw honey
  10. Juice of 1 lemon
  11. 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  12. Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. To make the dressing: whisk the lemon, mustard, honey and oil together in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste.
  2. To make the salad: remove the kale leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
  3. Slice the leaves thinly or break them up with your hands (you should have roughly 5-6 cups).
  4. Place the kale in a salad bowl and add the dressing. Massage the dressing into the kale, coating all of the leaves well. This will help "tenderize" the leaves.
  5. Add the apple, raisins, hemp seeds and almonds and toss to combine.
  6. Sprinkle with cheese on top and serve.
Holistic Wellness https://holisticwellness.ca/
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Foodie Fridays! The Best Ever Kale Caesar Salad

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Feed me some leafy greens and I’m one happy girl! I eat them so frequently you’d think I’d be sick of them by now. 

In fact, even as a little girl I loved Kale. My grandmother used to use it in many dishes, sautéed with lots of garlic, and my mom makes this amazing Caldo Verde Portuguese soup. It basically means collard green soup and it is my favourite! 

Collard greens, swiss chard, kale and other cruciferous veggies like broccoli and brussel sprouts are so incredibly detoxifying, support liver health and supply you with an incredible amount of magnesium.

Plus, they are rich in antioxidants, contain anti-inflammatory benefits, cancer protective compounds and cholesterol lowering properties. How ahhhmazing is that? But wait… there’s more! Kale also contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, plus omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, fiber, iron and potassium. 

So if you’re not eating kale by now, you better start! In fact, when I hear people say how they don’t eat any veggies or would never even consider trying kale, it breaks my little (big) heart. I know what eating nutrient rich food can do for your health and without these magnificent greens in your life, you’ll be suffering with inflammation, brain fog, sleeplessness, anxiety, pms, hormonal imbalances and lack of energy. Who wants that?

Which brings to my creamy, leafy, amazing, kale caesar salad. I’m gonna say it’s the best ever (because it is) and so ridiculously delicious that you’ll want to make it all the time! Or at least it may start to replace your traditional caesar salad recipe. 

There’s just something about caesar salad. For me, it’s the creaminess. I so regularly make olive oil, lemon and balsamic dressing that it just gets kind of boring and unexciting. 

This caesar dressing is perfect as a dip for veggies or even used as a spread on sandwiches. 

So before we get into this amazing recipe, let’s have a quick chat about massaging kale. Yes, I said massage. I’m sure you’ve heard of this before, right?

Well, curly kale (which is what I use in this recipe) can be a little on the tough side. To break it down and to allow for your body to absorb and assimilate all of the vital minerals and nutrients, you first need to massage your kale with a little bit of olive oil, lemon and sea salt. 

It’s easy. Before you make the caesar dressing, wash and de-stem your kale. Add it to a large bowl and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt. Then massage. Use your hands to really get in there and soften up the leaves. You’ll want to do this step as it lends a much nicer texture to the kale, making it more enjoyable to chomp on. 

Then, let it sit while you make your dressing. 

So now, onto the goodness! 

Enjoy 🙂 

Kale Caesar Salad
Serves 2
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Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
10 min
SALAD
  1. 5-6 cups (1 large bunch) raw kale, massaged (see above)
  2. 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
  3. 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  4. Organic or homemade croutons (I use the sprouted croutons from LIVE ORGANIC FOODS), this is optional
CAESAR DRESSING
  1. ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or for 4 hours
  2. 1 tablespoon tahini
  3. 1 cup water
  4. 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  5. Juice of 1 large lemon
  6. 3 garlic cloves
  7. 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  8. Black pepper & sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Massage kale in a large salad bowl and set aside.
  2. Add all caesar dressing ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined. You may need to add more water, depending on the consistency you like.
  3. Add dressing to salad and top with hemp seeds, nutritional yeast and croutons.
Notes
  1. *You can always step it up a notch and add some parmesan cheese and bacon to this recipe. I've done it many times and it's delicious! You can also serve this with some grilled or poached chicken or salmon for a healthy nutrient packed lunch!
Holistic Wellness https://holisticwellness.ca/
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Foodie Fridays – Sweet Potato, Beet & Arugula Detox Salad

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This is a delicious and satisfying salad that not only fills you up as a main, but offers many nutritional and detoxifying benefits. 

Beets are incredible blood cleansers and contain naturally occurring nitrates, which are converted into nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels, which not only improves your blood flow, but helps to lower blood pressure! Plus, they contain potassium and magnesium, two minerals that help to support heart health. 

Sweet potatoes are rich in carotenoids; plant compounds that protect your cells from damage. You can tell fruits and veggies are rich in these compounds by their colour. Yellow, orange and bright red are all indicators of antioxidant rich carotenoids. Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps to support heart health, plus it’s an anti-aging vitamin that can keeps your skin young, vibrant and wrinkle free!

And believe it or not, sweet potatoes contain even more potassium than bananas! 

Now let’s talk about arugula. This peppery green is incredibly alkalinizing and supports liver detoxification. It belongs to the brassica vegetables (just like broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower) and contains powerful detoxifying compounds such as sulforaphane and indole 3-carbinol. What does this even mean? Bottom line, it helps your liver to metabolize and breakdown excess estrogen, which in turn, helps to protect you against breast or ovarian cancer. Amazing right?

Many of my clients suffer with excess estrogen, otherwise known as estrogen dominance. Suffering with PMS, breast tenderness, excess weight, bloating and swollen lymph nodes can all be signs of estrogen dominance. It’s important to help flush this excess estrogen from your system to improve hormonal health and support the liver. This salad, along with other brassica vegetables and a lot of fiber can help you reduce excess estrogen and restore balance to your body. 

This salad can take minutes to prepare IF you have leftover roasted sweet potato and beets on hand. Two foods I typically like to roast a lot of to have on hand for easy, grab and go meals. Otherwise, roasting your veggies will take a little bit of time, but it’s so worth it! Be sure to make extra and keep them in your fridge to enjoy as leftovers. 

As with any salad, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand. It’s a great way to clean out your fridge. Feel free to get creative with this recipe by adding in cucumbers, celery, tomatoes or your favourite nuts and seeds. 

Happy Foodie Friday!

Enjoy your detox salad 🙂

Sweet Potato, Beet & Arugula Detox Salad
Serves 2
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Prep Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces and roasted*
  2. 2 medium beets, cut into cubes and roasted*
  3. 4 cups arugula or spinach
  4. 1/4 cup soft goats cheese, crumbled
  5. 2 tbsp hemp seeds
Dressing
  1. 2 tbsp olive oil
  2. 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  3. 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  4. 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
  1. Add arugula to a large bowl. Add in roasted sweet potato, beets and hemp seeds.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle over salad, add crumbled goats cheese and toss well.
  3. Divide among two plates and serve.
  4. *Roasting Sweet Potato - Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. (I personally like to leave the peel on, especially if buying organic). Cut into 1-inch size pieces. Place the cut sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and some chill flakes (optional). Bake for 45-55 minutes or until soft and cooked through.
  6. *Roasting Beets - Remove stems and leaves from beets and wash. Wrap beets in foil. Bake in 350°F oven for about 1 hour or until vegetables are fork-tender. Remove from foil and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Loosen skins from beets and cut into cubes. You can place the beets in the foil onto the same tray as the sweet potato to roast at the same time.
Notes
  1. *Candied walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, or almonds would all make delicious and healthy additions to this salad.
Holistic Wellness https://holisticwellness.ca/
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Summer Strawberry Salad

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I’m sure I’m not the only one enjoying sweet summer strawberries. I love this time of year because there is just much fresh produce to enjoy. And so much of it is local too!

I can’t resist adding berries to my salads this time of year. It adds a delicious sweet flavour, plus it takes the nutrient content to a whole other level!

Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and vitamin K, all of which help to strengthen your bones. Plus, strawberries help to keep your hair and nails strong due to being rich in biotin. 

One of my favourites ways to enjoy strawberries, aside from eating them, is to use them as a face scrub! Yep! That’s right, a nutrient rich face scrub. Before you go ahead and throw out your super mushy strawberries, mash them up instead and use them as a scrub. The tiny seeds are powerful little scrubbers that help to rid the skin of impurities, and the deep red colour will actually give your skin a gorgeous youthful glow! Oh… and your skin will smell delightful!

So get scrubbing, and while your at it, make this amazing nutrient rich salad to serve for dinner tonight!

Summer Strawberry Salad
Serves 2
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Prep Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
  2. 2 large handfuls of your favourite mixed organic greens
  3. 2 cups cucumbers, chopped
  4. 2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
  5. 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  6. 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  7. 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  8. Crumbled goats cheese, optional
Dressing
  1. 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  2. 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  3. Juice of 1 lemon
  4. 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
  1. Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
  2. Drizzle dressing onto salad and toss well to combine.
Holistic Wellness https://holisticwellness.ca/
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