The Most Delicious Winter Detox Salad with Chicken and Citrus

I'm admittedly a summer girl all the way. I love being tan, wearing flip flops and the heat bearing down on my skin. Winter wears me out on the other hand. I feel pasty, I'm constantly cold and I feel like I just pack on winter weight because I don't naturally move as much. This winter-inspired Detox Salad is like summer in a bowl and after weeks of heavy holiday food, it's just what I need.

Why is this a Detox Salad?

Your liver is the workhorse of your digestive system and a congested liver can cause weight retention. So, giving it a little support here and there is an easy way to keep your weight in a healthy range. Almost every ingredient in this Detox Salad is a liver support champion.

Bitter Greens - Arugula and raddichio as well as other greens like dandelion, endive and other dark leafy greens support both liver and bile function of gall bladder.

Citrus - a natural digestive flusher and anti-inflammatory. This salad has a triple dose in lemon juice in the dressing plus grapefruit and orange sections.

Cucumber and Celery - Natural diuretic vegetables.

Fennel - Fights inflammation and suppresses appetite naturally.

Avocado - Cleanses arteries and helps body produce glutathione which helps liver rid itself of toxins

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - While it is a fat itself, EVOO helps decrease unhealthy fat in the liver, increase blood flow, and improve liver enzyme levels.

Nuts and Seeds - Helps reduce risk of nonalcholic fatty liver disease which is becoming more common in the US due to our poor diet. Look for Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds to get even more benefit.

Can I Make the Detox Salad without Chicken?

This is an easy salad to make if you have leftover chicken but if you don't have any chicken, then simply bump up the amount of nuts you use. You can also serve it as a side to salmon which happens to also be a liver supporting food.

Do I Need to Use Organic Ingredients?

Since the point is supporting your liver, it is important to use as many organic ingredients as possible. You will for sure want to use organic chicken and any vegetables that are on the Dirty Dozen List. Citrus, avocadoes, nuts and fennel aren't as important to use organic if you can't find them or you cannot afford to do all organic ingredients.

Yield: 2

Author: Christi Flaherty

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Winter Detox Salad with Chicken and Citrus

Prep time: 30 MinTotal time: 30 Min

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups Mixed Salad Greens or a mixture of arugula, radicchio and endive
• 1/2 grapefruit cut into sections
• 1/2 orange cut into sections
• 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, preferably sprouted
• Red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

1. Toss the fennel, celery and cucumber together in a bowl with a big pinch of salt and lemon juice. Let stand for a few minutes.
2. Place the greens in a bowl and drizzle with half the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
3. Use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies from the lemon juice and add to the greens. Toss the chicken with the juices from the veggies and the EVOO.
4. Add the chicken to the greens and veggies then top with the citrus, avocado, nuts, seeds and red pepper flakes.

©2024 Christi Flaherty, Flaherty Culinary Concepts and realfoodsanity.com. All Rights Reserved. No part may be reproduced, used to create a derivative work, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written consent of the author.

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