This post includes a how-to guide for making a healthy and nutrient-dense micro-chopped salad.
I try to eat at least one salad a day with lots of raw vegetables and I fully admit that it’s a challenge to make them appetizing and enjoyable on a regular basis.
Micro-Chopped Salad Technique:
However, one technique I picked up from other salad aficionados that I love is to put the ingredients in a food processor to change the texture and offer a little variety. This weekend, as the temperatures climbed here in California, a version with chopped green vegetables, garbanzo beans, and a light vinegar dressing sounded refreshing.
I decided to use celery, kale, romaine, sunflower sprouts, onion, and broccoli slaw, mainly because that’s what I had in the refrigerator. I’m certain you could use whatever sounds good to you. It is important to give your ingredients a rough chop before putting them in the food processor, though, to make it easier for the appliance to work.
I layered my ingredients in the bowl (the order is of no importance, I just tried to make it pretty for the picture):
I pushed the “pulse” button several times and this is what I got:
I used a spatula to push the vegetables around a bit and pulsed it again for just about another 5-10 seconds:
I topped the salad with some coconut vinegar (I buy mine at Vitacost…use this link if you’re a new customer and we’ll both get $10 off), and some garbanzo beans.
I liked this salad so much on Saturday, that I made it again on Sunday. For the second version, I used the same vegetables, but topped with a simple dressing of almond butter mixed with the vinegar and some chopped olives and sauerkraut that I got at the farmers’ market:
Here is the printable recipe, updated to include my recommendations to serve the salad with avocado and lemon juice:
Print
Micro-Chopped Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
Yield: 2
Category: Salad
Method: food processor
Cuisine: vegan, nutrient-dense, plant-based
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This post includes a how-to guide for making a healthy and nutrient-dense micro-chopped salad.
Ingredients
- 4 celery stalks
- 1 cup roughly chopped kale
- 1 cup roughly chopped romaine
- 1 large handful sunflower sprouts
- ¼ of a medium red onion
- 1/2 cup broccoli florets or broccoli slaw
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
Instructions
- Roughly chop celery, kale, romaine, sunflower sprouts, onion, and broccoli florets and place into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Pulse several times until ingredients are finely chopped.
- Serve with the lemon juice and chopped avocado.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 100
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Caity @ Moi Conter La Vie says
Delicious looking concoction! Can’t wait to try out this trick.
And a HUGE congrats on all your progress health-wise, your scar looks like it’s healing really really well!
P.S. I’m going to have surgery in 6 or so weeks and my doctor asked me to bulk up on protein & iron – Did you get a similar request prior to your surgery? If so, do you have any suggestions or recommendations?
Carrie says
Hi Caity! Thanks for the note. I appreciate your kind words. I’m sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery, I hope it goes well. My doctor didn’t have any suggestions like that, although he did ask me about supplements I was taking to make sure I wasn’t a bleeding risk. You might want to clarify with your doctor about the protein/iron. I’m not a health professional, but I don’t think the body can store protein and I’m not sure the best way to increase iron without causing side effects. Also, it might be worthwhile to test your iron status first before making any kind of change. That would be my personal opinion. 🙂
Maggie says
I love my Vegan Delish app and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see more recipes like this on it! I’m always on the lookout for new salads, especially yummy veggie-intensive ones. I also love that you use almond butter for a salad dressing. I love doing that. I’m going add this salad to my meal plan for an upcoming five-day sugar detox.
Congrats on finishing your masters’ work!
Carrie says
Hi Maggie! Thanks so much for the kind words on Vegan Delish. I’m soooo glad you like it! I plan on adding more and more recipes and I appreciate the suggestion for more salads. Your suggestion got my creative juices flowing. Thanks again!!! 🙂
Oly Jacobsen says
So much to celebrate and be thankful for, Carrie! Congrats <3 I have a slicer for my food processor, which I often use. Andthen I have a spiralizer for vegetable noodles. I never get tired of salads!!! Sometimes I dehydrate some veggie to give it another texture… and then I make an awesome dressing with almond butter, vinegar, dates and fresh grated ginger 🙂
Enjoy your week!
Carrie says
Hi Oly! I love the idea of dehydrating veggies and putting those on salads for some variety in texture, too. You have a great week as well! Hugs.
Jennifer says
You’ve been BUSY! Wow! Congrats, girl! LOVE this Chopped Salad! I really thing a lot of people underestimate salads…NOT ME! LOVE them!
Carrie says
Hey girl! Yes, it’s been a busy, busy few months. Love my salads, too! 🙂
Maria says
HI Carrie,
What a wonderful easy way to make a big salad! I eat lots of crunchy salads like that too. I am just getting acquainted with your blog, after having had the opportunity to be at Vida Vegan in Portland. (I was the one with the cool service dog.) I write a blog at Fat Free Vegan called Plant-Based Slow Motion Miracle. Ihttp://fatfreevegan.com/slowmiracle/
I’d love it if you had time to take a look sometime.
Congratulations on all those important and impressive healing milestones. I am really enjoying following your blog
all the best to you,
Maria
Carrie says
Hi Maria! I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet in person at the conference. I’ve added your blog to my reader and looking forward to getting to know you that way. Thanks for the nice note. 🙂
Maria says
Thanks, Carrie!! To be continued. . .:)
Suzanne says
I’m a big fan of chopping my salad too, although I have never even heard of coconut vinegar! I’ll give it a try 🙂
You look fabulous Carrie! Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished!
Peace&love
Carrie says
Thanks, Suzanne! I appreciate the kind words and moral support. 🙂
Patty says
Beautiful salad and beautiful lady!! 🙂
Great job, Carrie, on another wonderful salad idea! I love this one. It looks so delicious. It’s nice to have different ideas for our salads. It does get old eating the same texture, sometimes. I like the idea of this style of chopping just to change things up. Thank you for all of these wonderful ideas and recipes. I’m going to make this one this week! I have a feeling my husband will be happy to see a new salad style. 🙂
You look great Carrie! I’m so glad to hear that you are feeling so well, and that you are healing more and more each day.
Carrie says
Thanks so much for the note, Patty! My husband also likes this chopped salad; it’s so much easier to eat because there’s a lot less chewing involved! 🙂
Sandy says
What a great idea – I struggle to make salad feel ‘fun’ too! This looks much more manageable than eating leaves!!!!!!
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiness says
Yum! Isn’t it amazing how much better a salad tastes when it’s chopped.
Annie says
Never thought to put the whole shebang in the food processor! I’m digging the bite-sizedness of it all.
You look adorable, Carrie. Continued good health, and congrats on getting closer to finishing your paper :-).
Paula says
What a great idea for salads. It would help with the chewing, especially when using kale. This week I made salad with some purple flowering kale and shredded carrots. Just added a bit of dressing and it was yummy, but next time I am going to use the processor.
Jodi says
Hi Carrie!
How did you know I was looking for a good micro chopped salad mix? I need to get my greens up and knew this would be a good way. Thanks for the two options.
And congratulations on your milestone. Awesome!
Jodi
Carrie says
Awww, thanks for the nice words, Jodi. I am in love with your blog and photos. 🙂
Lauren says
I try to eat a salad a day as well, so I’m drawn to new ways of preparing them! This is such a cool idea. I tried this the other day with broccoli and cauliflower, to make it more of a couscous texture, but I like the idea of using actual greens and celery too. I’ll have to peruse your dressings, as it looks like you post some yummy ones on Vegan Delish. 🙂
Carrie says
Ohhhh, that’s a great idea to process the cauliflower and broccoli, I bet that turned out really well. I have made cauliflower “risotto” that way.
Jennifer says
I just wanted to let you know how much I love your site! After checking it out I saw that you are a thy ca survivor/patient- I am currently 6 months post op from tt and major neck dissection.I became a vegan when was diagnosed 8 months ago and I truly feel that all this healthy eating has given me a fast recovery. I have lost the pregnancy weight and have not had a cold or flu since becoming a vegan! You are an inspiration and I look forward to trying many of your recipes.
Carrie says
Hi Jennifer! Thanks so much for the note. I am 10 months out so we are both newbie survivors. I also felt that my healthy, vegan diet aided in my recovery, although I’ve had ups and downs with getting my energy levels back up and the right dosage of medication. Let’s keep in touch and feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk more about it! 🙂
Kirsty says
Hi Carrie, I hope all is well with you!
This prep/recipe reminds me of my travels through Vietnam as this dish is reminiscent of the classic Vietnamese Salad (minus the insane helpings fish sauce and spicy chillies!). I too have been to hell and back with cancer and it was this viet twist on your dish that was just about the only thing I could keep down when going through chemo. For anyone in the same situation I can’t recommend the addition of powered spirulina (not TOO much as it can hinder the taste somewhat!) to salads like this just to give your blood that extra boost it needs when tackling chemo/cancer. I feel it really helped and was more effective than the manufactured iron supplements they ply you with.
Anyway, thats just my two cents!
All the best,
Kirst x
Maribel says
Another great idea on how I should prepare my vegetable salad next time 🙂
Thanks Carrie!
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