Spring Cleaning Salad

Spring is Kapha season and many of suffer from seasonal allergies during this time of year. It is important to eat in manner that supports our immune system. This salad bolsters the immune system and cleanses the body with seasonal vegetables. It’s good for you and it’s delicious. I love the textures of this salad. The soft, nutty texture of the chickpeas, the refreshing crunch of cucumber, the crisp sharp crunch of the radish and the satisfying crunch of quickly blanched asparagus. I am eating a giant bowl of this for lunch most days. I cannot get enough of it.  This recipe yields a single meal serving for one or 2 generous side servings.
Key ingredients include: asparagus, radish, garlic, chickpeas.
Asparagus is in season during the Spring. Asparagus contains chlorophyll, lutein and other phytochemical compounds that help to cleanse the internal organs.
Radish is an amazing vegetable that can easliy be tossed into a salad. The heat from the radish is said to liquify mucus in the body, thus it aids in detoxing the body. It is considered particularly good for cleansing the sinuses and ridding the body of phlegm.
Garlic is considered antiviral and antibacterial.  Historically, garlic has been used as a treatment for many different ailments including hay fever, sore throat and sinus headache.
Chickpeas are a good source of fiber. As you detox your body you want to eat fiber to ensure that your body can usher out the toxins. Chickpeas, like many legumes, contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Print Recipe
Course Main Course
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Umeboshi Plum Vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp umeboshi vinegar
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Salad

  • 5 stalks asparagus
  • 3 small radishes
  • ½ cup cooked or canned chickpeas
  • ¼ cup English cucumber, deseeded and diced
  • 1 small Roma tomato, diced
  • 2 tbsp petite diced red onion
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 2 cups water for boiling
  • 2 cups water with ice for ice bath

Instructions
 

  • In a small pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the asparagus. Blanche asparagus for 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalks. Remove asparagus from boiling water and set it in an ice bath to cool.
  • While asparagus is cooling, mix all the remaining salad ingredients, except the garlic and sunflower seeds. Be sure that the garlic is crushed (you may have to chop it as well) to ensure that no large pieces of garlic remain. You don’t want to bite into a large bit of garlic. Thoroughly mix th garlic into the salad.
  • Pull the asparagus from the ice bath and pat it dry then chop it into bite size pieces and add it to the salad.
  • Pour the olive oil, vinegar and lemon over the salad and mix well. Taste the salad. It may need a bit more vinegar or lemon juice depending on your taste. Top with sunflower seeds and enjoy.
Keyword asparagus, radish, chickpeas