Kale + Brussels Sprouts Salad with Curried Nuts | 3 Day Juice Cleanse

First things first I have a new recipe.  This recipe is an attempt to recreate one of my favorite salad recipes.  I am obsessed with the kale and Brussels salad at Tavern and Table, a restaurant here in Charleston.  It is so good, I dream about it.  Every time my mom is in town we always hit up Tavern and Table just for this salad.  I decided to try my hand at making my own version and it came out exactly like the original.  I was thrilled I can now make my favorite salad at home!

The curried nuts are my favorite part of the salad.  You could make a whole batch of them just to snack on.  They are addictive.  The combination of the kale, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet and spicy curried nuts, tart granny smith apples and salty pecorino cheese is out of this world good.  The salad is best the day you make it but it will save in the fridge for at least a day.  If you keep the ingredients separate it will save even longer. I enjoyed this as my lunch but if you wanted to serve this as a dinner I would simply pair it with some grilled chicken, shrimp, or fish

Enjoy!

|| K A L E + B R U S S E L S  S A L A D  W I T H   C U R R I E D  N U T S ||

- 1 head of kale de-stemmed and chopped

- 1grany smith apple, sliced thinly

- 1 bag Brussels Sprouts, quartered

- 1 jar Marcona Almonds

- 2 teaspoons honey

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 3 teaspoons curry powder

- pecorino cheese

Wash the Brussels Sprouts and cut into quarters.  Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees about 20-25 minutes.  Pull and set aside.

For the Curried Nuts :

Toss the nuts, melted butter, 2 teaspoons curry powder and honey in a bowl until nuts are coated.  Pour on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees about 12-15 mins, stirring the nuts frequently.  Pull from oven and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon curry powder and let them cool.

For the Lemon Tahini Dressing:

( I ended up doubling this) 

- 2 tablespoons tahini

- juice of 2 lemons

- 1 garlic clove

- 2 tablespoons water

- salt

- cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. 

Place the kale, Brussels sprouts, apples, and nuts in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over and mix well.  Add the pecorino cheese to taste.

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3 DAY JUICE CLEANSE

Several of you asked and wanted to know how my juice cleanse went.

  I had never done a juice cleanse before but always toyed with the idea of doing one.  So when Blend Juice Bar (my favorite juice spot in town) reached out about doing a cleanse I was all over it.  It was perfect timing after my trip to NYC and a fairly indulgent Summer. 

Why did I do the Cleanse?

I did the cleanse not to lose weight but to re-set by body.  After a glutinous Summer,  I felt like my appetite was out of control and I just felt super bloated.  I wanted to flush my body and try to curb some of the cravings I was having.  I was feeling the need to snack frequently between meals and wanting something sweet after each meal.  I also just felt tired most days.  I wanted to change that.

Was the cleanse harder or easier than I thought it would be?

The cleanse was honestly easier than I thought it would be.  The hardest part was controlling my mind.  The juices actually kept me pretty full but my mind kept thinking about food and just wanting to chew on something.  Food was all I thought about for those 3 days.  It made me realize I eat a lot out of boredom and just to chew.  Since the cleanse I am trying to be more mindful about what I eat. 

Day One

The first day went really well.  Each juice tasted better than the next one.  They were such different flavors it really kept me satisfied plus I looked forward to trying what juice was next.  The white juice, which was a cashew/coconut water/cinnamon blend was so tasty.  Sterling tried it and claimed it tasted just like cinnamon toast crunch. 

I love how Blend has labels on each juice so you know exactly what is in your drink.  You drink them in a certain order and I loved all 5 of them.

I have tried several of the juices like Suja that you can buy at the grocery store and these fresh pressed ones taste so much better and they cost roughly the same.

Day Two

I woke up and felt great.  I had so much energy and my mind just felt clear and not foggy.  Before the cleanse I would wake up so tired and now I was having so much more energy.  Day two was harder than day one mainly because I just wanted to chew something.  I caved that night and ate one carrot and one piece of celery before bed.

Day Three

Once again I woke up and felt great.  I actually woke up before my alarm even went off.  So much energy.  Around lunch time I got super spacey and felt really weak.  I also got a killer headache. I ended up eating later that day because I just felt so out of it out.  Not sure if you are supposed to the eat the same day you finish your cleanse but I did.  A few hours after I ate my headache went away and I felt much better.

Results and would I do it again?

I would 100% do a juice cleanse again.  I would however probably just do a 1 or 2 day cleanse.  By the third day I was ready to be done.  I lost 4 pounds, 2 of which I have already gained back as I figured I would because it was water weight.  I do feel less bloated and I have been much more mindful about what I eat. The craving sweets after every meal is gone. I don't feel the need for dessert everyday.    I feel like the cleanse really helped clean out my body and flush out toxins.  I peed so much those first 2 days and my pee was completely clear so I know I was super hydrated.  Since the cleanse I have tried to drink way more water. Overall it was a great experience.

Blend Info

For locals that are interested in doing a cleanse, you can call Blend or go online to order.  It was so easy each day I just stopped by and my bottles were in a cooler case in the fridge near the front door ready to go.  They offer three different cleanses : Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.  I did the Beginner Cleanse which costs $50 a day.  If you don't want to do a cleanse you should stop by Blend anyways and try one of their juices or smoothies- my favorites are the green juice and green smoothie! I also love the wheat grass and Nature's Flu shots.

*Blend did not compensate me to write this post but they did graciously give me a free juice cleanse.  All thoughts and opinions are purely my own.