Beet Apple Celery Kale (BACK) Salad

Wow, some of us have experienced an intensely hot summer this year! The Ayurvedic way tells us to cleanse at the end of summer to rid ourselves of excess heat, and this salad is perfect for doing just that.

Excess heat can cause dryness in the body. In turn, the body responds by creating reactive mucous in order to lubricate itself. Mucous breeds bacteria that makes us sick. This response to dryness is one of the classic fall scenarios that lead to sinus infections, intense allergies, and more.

Beets contain B vitamins, calcium, iron, and have amazing antioxidants, too. The liver tends to harbor heat, and beets provide super support for the liver in its ability to release heat and function well.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away…” How true it is! Apples have an affinity for scraping the body of ama (toxins) and heat with their pitta (fire) pacifying, astringent, and cooling qualities. Autumn’s apples are an ally for sure!

Celery stimulates the sweat glands to release heat, and reminds the lymph to move. It simultaneously scrapes mucous from the digestive tract as it aids in digestion and detoxification.

Another pitta-friendly pal, kale’s bitter quality cools as its fibrous nature aids in maintaining intestinal integrity.

This simple salad is a powerful panacea for fending off fall and winter woes and enabling you to take “BACK” your balance.

Beet, Apple, Celery, and Kale (BACK) Salad

Serves 4. 

Ingredients

• 1 head kale, chopped (if you take this recipe further into fall, you can omit the kale)
• 2 beets, grated
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 apple, chopped (the sweeter the apple, the more cooling it is. Try Gala, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious!)
• Lemon or lime juice, to taste
• Flax oil for drizzling
• 1/2 to 1 cup cilantro leaves, or about 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground fennel
• pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt (go easy on salt, as it tends to be heating!)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix well with flax oil and citrus juice.

Eat this salad at midday for optimal digestion and assimilation of nutrients.