Pink – Immune-Boosting, Fall Salad Recipe You Have To Try!

This simple, refreshing, energizing salad with nutrient-dense ingredients, enhanced with vitamins and minerals is the perfect fall immune-boosting salad made for the upcoming rainy and freezy cold winter months.

Made with cucumber, carrot, beet, cherry tomatoes, olives, apple, and Greek yogurt mix as the perfect dressing, this recipe is one of the simplest ones you can prepare in just around 10-15 minutes! How cool is that?

In the refreshing Pink Salad, a few simple, fresh ingredients are combined in their purest form to create a gorgeous salad, showcasing the beauty of the Mediterranean diet, you’d want to devour on both hot summer days, and as an immune-boosting salad during cold days! It is undoubtedly one of my favorite mood-boosting salads, that will take you just 10 minutes to prepare!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cucumber – Finelly chopped cucumbers give that light, cooling effect with a crunchy element to the salad. Cucumbers are excellent for boosting hydration and assisting in weight loss since they are low in calories, have a lot of water, and contain soluble fiber. They’re rich in important vitamins such as Vitamin K, A, and C, and contain antioxidants that can be beneficial to some conditions. (1)

Carrot – Beta carotene, fiber, potassium, vitamin K1, and antioxidants are all abundant in carrots, making them a particularly beneficial food choice. They are a great source of vitamin A, which is essential for maintaining eye health. (2)

Beet – Beetroots are a fantastic source of fiber, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. They are also packed with important minerals. However, we are going to use a smaller amount of grated beet for this recipe so that the tzatziki dressing can actually play its role in the salad! (3)

Cherry Tomatoes – As a snack, cherry tomatoes provide a flavorful explosion and are rich in boosting vitamins and minerals – “Cherry tomatoes are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins A and C, and carotenoid antioxidants such as lutein, lycopene, and beta carotene.” – according to Healthline (4)

Olives – Olives contain powerful antioxidants and significant amounts of vitamin E that may strengthen the immune system and promote skin health. (5)

Apple – Apples add that sweetness and tart with a pleasing crunch to the whole salad. They contain a lot of nutrients. Fiber and vitamin C are both abundant in apples. In addition, they contain polyphenols and antioxidants like vitamin E, which together contribute to the fruit’s many health advantages. (6)

Lemon – a wonderful source of Vitamin C, and a flavorful ingredient for salads.

Greek yogurt – adds a creamy, thick, sweeter texture that can enhance the flavor of the salad, and contains a lot of nutrients such as calcium protein, probiotics, and vitamin B-12. It has many benefits such as boosting metabolism and improving gut health. Probiotics that are present in Greek yogurt act as good bacteria that may help to reestablish a bacterial balance in the gut. 

Garlic – a small amount of garlic always adds a noticeable flavor to the salad and gives that lacking spark, while being delicious and packed with antioxidants.

Honey – without the need for additional sugars or artificial sweeteners, honey may naturally sweeten and flavor your smoothie.

How To Make It:

• In a larger bowl, start by dicing 1 medium cucumber, mincing 1 medium carrot, grating 1 small beet, chopping 3,4 cherry tomatoes, adding 8-10 sliced olives (you can add less or more, adjust per taste), 1 grated apple, and 1 tsp of lemon.

• Mix it all together evenly.

• In another medium bowl, add 200-250 grams of Greek yogurt* (I like to start with adding a smaller amount – 180 grams, up to 250 since the size of the veggies you’ll use may differentiate from my definition of small/medium/large. So, it’s better to start with a little, and gradually add more to adjust to your taste!);1 tbsp honey; 5 slices of cucumber (minced) + 3,4 drops of lemon; ¼ garlic (finely minced), and ½ tsp salt!

Can I Make This Salad Ahead?

This pink salad still tastes wonderful even when served cold, so it can be made ahead, but make sure to put it in the fridge in a suitable salad container. However, the question of how long you should be storing your salads in the fridge depends on a lot of factors and ingredients used.

As a big skeptic and an advocate for fresh food, I don’t prefer storing any salad for more than 2 days. The difference in texture, flavor, and taste can be felt even after a few hours of storing, so if possible, the most flavorful tasting experience you’ll get is if you eat it immediately after preparing.

In the case of this Pink Salad, I’ve noticed that a greater amount of beet liquid is released when left for a couple of hours, which may ruin the taste of Greek yogurt present as a dressing, and give a slightly different flavor.

Why I Love This Recipe?

• Quick & Easy – you can freely make it in about 15 minutes, which is perfect if you’re busy, and certainly don’t have time for complex meals.
• Healthy; mood, and immune-boosting; light and fresh – full of health-essential and crucial vitamins and minerals as it is a combination of various veggies, so the benefits of the nutrients are amplified.
• It’s super delicious – the combination of veggies with Greek yogurt just works perfectly, taking us back to the hot summer days in just one taste! We all need it in these cold autumn days!
• Vibrant, and colorful – it’s ideal for some important events, such as birthday celebrations, Christmas, New Year, or weddings, as the joy, and colorfulness this salad gives is just of this world, and it’s definitely mount-watering and eye-catching! Your guests will definitely love it!