Watercress and Grapefruit Salad and Green Soup

Spring Cleaning! Spring Cleaning! Spring Cleaning!

If you say it like a chant… like a battle-cry… it makes things more exciting.

It’s Spring and time to clear things up and out! I’m talking a major overhaul of closets, excavating the back of the pantry, and somehow dealing with the teetering stack of mixing bowls in the back of my kitchen cupboards.  All of that!

Except maybe I’ll procrastinate just a few days longer and Spring Clean my lunch rather than address my closet.  I probably need a new shoe rack… that might be the root of the problem.

Both of these recipes come from a little recipe book I received with my Thrive Market order.  Bonus!

First up!  Grapefruit and watercress salad.  Bright and juicy, cleansing citrus paired with tender and spicy watercress greens.  Because we’re entering into fancy-salad territory we’re adding creamy, good-fat avocados and salty pistachios.

Lots of herbs and hard-boiled eggs for protein.

The dressing is spicy fresh ginger, fresh lime juice, and coconut oil.  It’s a cleansing salad, with no hunger pains or suffering.

Should we do more green?

Yes…  SOUP!

Loads of smashed garlic and fresh minced ginger are sautéed with turmeric and coriander.

Broccoli is added with vegetable broth and simmered until softened.

Then!  Every green you can get your hands on is added to the simmering soup:  de-stemmed kale, a bundle of fresh watercress, fresh parsley (stems and all), fresh cilantro, and lime!

Blended and souped to Spring Cleaning perfection.

Happy Spring!  Let’s fill our bodies with all that is rich and green and fresh and blooming.  It’s a delicious time of year.  A lovely way to emerge into sunshiny days.

Also… making a blended green soup and a choppy salad is a great way to procrastinate on closet cleaning.

Alkalizing Green Soup

Print Recipe

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 heaping cups)
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable stock, depending on how thick you want your soup
• 1 bunch destemmed lacitano kale
• 1 bunch watercress
• 1 large handful fresh parsley leaves
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves (optional if you hate it)
• sea salt
• fresh cracked black pepper
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the spices and toast for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and toss to coat.
2. Add 3 cups of vegetable broth and simmer, uncovered, until broccoli is softened, about 8 minutes. Add the kale, watercress, parsley, and cilantro and stir until the greens are wilted, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and carefully transfer about half of the broth and vegetables to a blender. Blend until smooth. Repeat until all of the soup is blended well. Add remaining both if you’d like a thinner soup. Transfer back to the pot. Heat over low heat, season with salt and pepper and the juice of a lime. Enjoy warm.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4

Grapefruit Watercress Avocado Salad

Print Recipe

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 20
• Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Salad

• 1 bunch watercress
• 1 pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 small handful fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
• 2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• sea salt
• freshly cracked black pepper

For the Dressing

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons raw honey
• juice of 1 lime
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. To make the salad, in a large bowl lightly toss together watercress, grapefruit, shallots, cilantro, parsley, pistachios, boiled egg slices, and avocado.
2. In a small bowl, or jar with a tight-fitting lid, whisk or shake together ginger, coconut oil, honey, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake until emulsified. Drizzle over salad. Toss and enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4