Detox Salad with the Thermomix® is our answer to heavy days. The trick: we blend the dressing with quark rather than using oil alone as the emulsion. That makes the salad creamy and filling without turning greasy.
The 700 g of raw vegetables (pointed cabbage and broccoli) form the base. The Thermomix® shreds both at speed 4 in 7 seconds to exactly the right size. By hand that takes 15 minutes and never comes out as evenly. The dressing of low-fat quark, olive oil and lemon juice gives the salad body without leaving you feeling sluggish afterwards.
Detox Salad with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 13 ✓
- 40 g blanched almonds
- 400 g pointed cabbage
- 300 g broccoli florets
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp liquid sweetener
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 80 g low-fat quark
- 50 g water
- 1 avocado
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Chop the almonds.
Add the almonds to the mixing bowl and chop for 6 sec / speed 6.
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2
Toast the almonds.
Transfer the almonds to a dry frying pan and toast without any fat.
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3
Prepare the pointed cabbage.
Wash the pointed cabbage, remove the core, cut into pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
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4
Prepare and chop the broccoli.
Wash the broccoli and add to the mixing bowl. Chop for 7 sec / speed 4, using the spatula to push the vegetables down. Transfer to a salad bowl. If the vegetables are still too coarse, chop for a further 3 sec / speed 4.
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5
Blend the dressing.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, sweetener, salt, pepper, quark and water to the mixing bowl and blend for 8 sec / speed 6. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
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6
Prepare the avocado and pepper.
Halve the avocado, remove the stone, scoop the flesh from the skin and cut into pieces. Wash the pepper, cut into quarters, remove the core and seeds, then dice. Add both to the salad and fold in gently.
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7
Mix and serve the salad.
Combine the sesame seeds with the almonds, scatter over the salad and serve.
Tip: Instead of pointed cabbage, you can also use white cabbage or red cabbage.
Nutrition per serving
Why a quark emulsion instead of straight oil
Most raw-vegetable dressings are either too watery or too oily. We emulsify 80 g of low-fat quark with just 3 tbsp of olive oil and 50 g of water at speed 6. The result is a stable cream that coats the vegetables without leaving a pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl. The quark brings protein; the oil provides the fatty acids needed to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.
The lemon juice is not decoration here. Acid stabilises the emulsion and stops the quark from splitting. 1 tbsp is the minimum; any less and the dressing will break when you toss it with the salad.
Toast the almonds, do not use them raw
We chop the 40 g of blanched almonds at speed 6 in 6 seconds, then toast them in a dry pan. Toasting releases the essential oils and gives the almonds a nutty bite that is simply not there when they are raw. Raw almonds taste floury and disappear into the salad. Toasted, they add a crunchy textural layer that contrasts nicely with the soft vegetables.
Pointed cabbage and broccoli: speed 4 with the spatula
Both vegetables go into the mixing bowl together. Wash the pointed cabbage, remove the core and cut it roughly. Wash the broccoli and add it straight in. 7 seconds at speed 4, pushing the vegetables down with the spatula from above. The vegetables need to come out evenly shredded but not mushy. If there are still large pieces after 7 seconds, run another 3 seconds at speed 4. Do not go any longer, or the broccoli becomes too fine and the salad turns watery.
Avocado and pepper stay out of the machine
Avocado and pepper are cut by hand and folded in right at the end. The Thermomix® would turn the avocado to mush and cut the pepper too small. Halve the avocado, remove the stone and cut the flesh into pieces. Quarter the pepper, remove the core and seeds, then dice. Fold both gently into the dressed salad, or the avocado will fall apart.
Sesame as a finishing touch, not a base ingredient
Sesame seeds and toasted almonds are scattered over the salad just before serving. If you stir them in too early, they go soft and lose their bite. The nut and seed topping adds crunch and makes the salad look more appealing.
Sweetener instead of sugar
1 tsp of liquid sweetener softens the sharpness of the lemon juice and the slight bitterness of the broccoli. Sugar would work, but if you want to keep the salad light, sweetener is the smarter choice. The quantity is deliberately small; the salad should taste balanced, not sweet.
Storage and preparation
The salad keeps in the fridge for a maximum of 1 day. After that the vegetables become watery and the dressing separates. If you want to prepare it ahead, store the dressing separately and mix everything just before serving. Always cut the avocado and pepper fresh, as both discolour quickly.
Freezing does not work. A raw-vegetable salad with quark dressing turns mushy when thawed.
How other versions compare
Goes well with: tuna, falafel and feta.
Most detox salads rely on bitter leaves such as radicchio, endive and rocket, topped with sprouts, pomegranate or apple and a scattering of walnuts or sunflower seeds. Quinoa or lentils provide bulk, and the dressing typically features apple cider vinegar, lemon or tahini with heat from ginger or mustard. Warm versions with fennel and orange are also popular. We take a different approach: pointed cabbage and broccoli as the base, a quark emulsion instead of a classic vinaigrette, and toasted almonds for crunch. That keeps the shopping list short, holds preparation to under 15 minutes and makes the salad filling without being heavy.
