Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a salad that needs to be part of your diet! Salads don’t have to be a boring pile of iceberg lettuce with a few croutons and a glob of thick creamy dressing from a bottle. Unless that’s what you really love, and then who am I to tell you not to eat that…
But seriously, if you want to get your vitamins and minerals from your food, as you should (and not from a pill), a bright-colored salad should be part of your daily regimen.
Just take a look at this colorful, crisp and crunchy salad. Not only is it beautiful and delicious, but in one serving it will provide 121% of your daily requirement of vitamin A and 95% of your vitamin C! Not to mention a significant amount of calcium and potassium. Oh, and fiber, of course!
Variations on a rainbow
You don’t have to follow this recipe to the letter as far as which vegetables you include and in what proportions. Of course, the nutritional information provided is for the vegetables and quantities listed. But it is highly customizable depending on what you have on hand. The idea is to get a rainbow of colors to benefit from a variety of phytonutrients. That includes purple and blue, green, orange and yellow, red, and white and brown.
Ah, you caught me there! I did not include anything red in this particular salad, but you could. Grape tomatoes or red bell pepper would do the trick. I didn’t include any as I was trying to keep the salad super crunchy. Therefore, tomatoes were out. Also, I had no red bell pepper, only a yellow one. Oh well, guilty as charged! And no, red peanut M&M’s are not a vegetable!
A quick tip. If time is of the essence for you and chopping vegetables is not your thing, head to the nearest salad bar in your grocery store or the like. Grab a variety of pre-washed and pre-cut veggies. Just make sure you build a rainbow!
How to eat over the rainbow salad
This salad will keep well for 3 days in your refrigerator. So, even if you live alone and prep a large amount, don’t worry. It will be there to nourish you for a few days! I never get tired of it myself. Add a small piece of chicken breast or cooked salmon, or cooked grains and chickpeas, and you have yourself a fantastic to-go lunch box!
So, try it now. It might even make you feel that you can fly like a happy little bluebird! At the very least, you’ll be singing!
Check out these other recipes:
The ultimate French carrot salad
Spinach broccoli blueberry salad
Kale broccoli and cranberry salad
Over the rainbow salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups kale sliced
- 2 cups red cabbage sliced
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup cucumber sliced
- 1/2 cup radishes sliced
- 2 scallions sliced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
- Add kale, red cabbage, carrots, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, radishes and scallions. Toss to coat.
Live colorfully!
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