Want to reset your body? Think about eating whole, one-ingredient foods. That’s my philosophy. What’s in an apple? An apple. What’s in an avocado? An avocado. You can base your entire daily diet—all your meals and snacks—around these one-ingredient foods. That’s what Clean Eating is all about and that’s exactly how you’ll be eating with every recipe in my new column. I look forward to hearing how much you enjoy the fresh, clean, and satisfying recipes coming your way.
Let’s start with this sweet salad filled with detoxifying ingredients to support your liver and balance your blood sugar. Enjoy it as a simple weeknight side dish with dinner or serve it as an easy appetizer when entertaining, then pack leftovers the next day for lunch. It’ll come in handy to curb your afternoon sweet-tooth! The natural sugars in the pear, cabbage, yellow bell pepper, and lemon help reduce sugar cravings. And the healthy fats from the tahini and sesame seeds will help balance your blood sugar.
Meat Alternative:
Poach four organic chicken breasts in a large pot with chicken broth, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper for 25 minutes over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Slice the chicken breasts and serve on top of this salad.
By Amie Valpone
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 pear, ripe, thinly sliced
- 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Tahini Dressing
- ½ cup tahini, well-stirred
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large lemon, juice (more if needed)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 10 tablespoon water, room temperature
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Boil a large pot of water on the stove top. Add the green beans and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the beans are bright green.
Use a strainer to remove the beans and place them into a bowl of ice cold water. Let them sit for 1 minute in the water, then drain well, pat dry with a paper or kitchen towel and transfer the beans to a large bowl.
Add the pear, cabbage, bell pepper, scallion, sesame seeds, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
For the dressing, whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl until well combined and drizzle over the green bean salad. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
Store any leftover dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
>>Amie Valpone is the founder of The Healthy Apple and best-selling author of the cookbook Eating Clean: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body.
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