Detox Support: Sprouted Red Lentil Salad with Cilantro-Mango Chutney Dressing

 Sprouted Red Lentil Salad with Cilantro-Mango Chutney Dressing

This recipe is from the Still Life Cafe, formerly of the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. 

This salad is one of my party favorites.  It's fresh, beautiful and you can make it ahead of time.  But it's great for another reason.  It's got lots of fresh, raw cruciferous vegetables.

There is a reason you should care about this.  Our bodies need a little help detoxifying from our chemically-laden world.  And for those of us with certain genetic SNPs that slow down our estrogen metabolism, we need extra help.  

A compound called sulforaphane is key at helping to regulate our liver detoxification system in a way that is beneficial to us.  We get it from raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radishes, cabbages, kohlrabi, etc.  Even a little bit of steaming breaks this compound down enough so the bioavailabilty really drops.  It's gotta be raw.

That's what makes this salad brilliant.  If you are looking for a delicious sweet and tangy salad.  Make it.  If you are looking for more foods with raw cruciferous vegetables, even better.  I love it.

I soak my lentils in a quart jar for 1-2 days and wash my veggies.

Cut them up this size or smaller.

Don't be afraid to omit an ingredient if you really don't like it.  Me, I don't do green peppers so much.

Sprouted Red Lentil Salad with Cilantro-Mango Chutney Dressing

Salad ingredients:

• 2 c. dry red lentils, soaked overnight in water (2 nights is best)
• 4 c. cauliflower, chopped into tiny flowerettes
• 2 c. sweet peas, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, julienne dice
• 1 green bell pepper, julienne dice
• 1 cup broccoli, tiny flowerettes
• 1 cup spinach, chipped in a chiffonade.

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mango chutney (Major Grey's or another sweet chutney, fruit preserve, apricot is nice too)
• 1 c. fresh cilantro, minced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced.
• 1/2 c. olive oil (or other neutral-tasting oil)
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. sea salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. One or two days before, soak lentils in water.  Keep in the fridge.  If soaking 2 days, change the water at least once.
2. One the day of, cut up all salad ingredients and place in a large bowl.
3. Combine all dressing ingredients separately and pour over salad just prior to serving.

Serves 8-10