Balsamic Vegetable Medley Salad

Balsamic Vegetable Medley Salad

Credit: Marika’s Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1.2 lbs. Cauliflower
  • 6 oz. Radish
  • 12 oz. Carrots
  • 11 oz. Beets
  • 9 oz. Broccoli
  • 9 oz. Jicama
  • 12 oz. Yellow Crookneck Squash
  • 14 oz. Zucchini
  • 4 oz. Red Cabbage

Dressing

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 oz. avocado
  • 1 large tomato
  • ½ cup Italian parsley leaves
  • 2 cups water
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive oil to sauté minced garlic, (optional)

Directions

  1. Wash, trim and peel veggies and cut or shred everything to your preference into a large bowl.
  2. Optional: Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sauté crushed garlic cloves till golden or just add raw garlic
  3. Peel and remove avocado seed. Peel and remove seeds from tomato (deseeding optional). Mince Italian parsley and blend all dressing ingredients in blender.
  4. Toss vegetables in dressing and allow to marinate. Lasts for quite a while.
    Notes:
  • Even though I have included weights, since recipes work better with quantities listed, the exact quantities are not that important to worry about. When I first made this, I just got a large head of cauliflower, a large bunch of radish, a nice size jicama, etc., and cubed it all up or shredded it and made the dressing. Consider the weights as approximates and don’t get distracted by getting exact with those measurements. Look at the picture of everything together to see the approximate amounts and then go with what portion sounds good to you. Get creative and experiment.
  • When I’m not making this for a large crowd, I like to portion this into serving sizes in mason jars and allow the dressing to wilt the veggies a bit. Easier on digestion.
  • This is a good one to make ahead so that the enzymes in the dressing can begin to break down the vegetables, making them easier to digest.
  • Latest claims state that the peels and seeds of many vegetables are difficult to digest, especially for those of us with digestive issues. Peeling and removing seeds from vegetables helps with digestion.
  • Digestive issues are not limited to just peels and seeds though. I’ve read and experienced that raw vegetables are more difficult to digest than fermented and cooked vegetables. When your system can’t digest raw vegetables, it can cause an increase in inflammation in the body.
  • Approximately 116 Calories per 1½ cup portions. enjoy!

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