Grilled Summer Detox Salad (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

If you've been partying a bit too hard this summer, this refreshing Summer Detox Salad will help set you back on a wholesome eating track as well as delight your taste buds! Featuring a rainbow of fresh and grilled vegetables with 'garlicy,' grilled shrimp topped with my homemade ranch dressing, this detox salad recipe adapted from a recipe on Pinch of Yum is also gluten-free, dairy-free, and FODMAP-aware (high in fructose but low in other FODMAPs - see note below) with an easy Paleo, Whole30, and Keto option.

FODMAP-Aware: after the initial posting of this recipe, some of the ingredients in this summer detox salad (red and orange bell peppers) were retested for FODMAPs by Monash University. As written, this recipe now exceeds the tolerable amount per serving for fructose, and therefore I have changed its classification to "FODMAP-aware." Consult your doctor or dietician on whether or not this recipe is appropriate for your dietary needs. For the most up-to-date info on FODMAP information, check Monash University's Low FODMAP Diet App.

If you love corn in salads, try my Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad next! If grilled shrimp salads are your thing, try my Caesar Salad with Shrimp! Or explore all my main course salads!

Jump to:

• What is a Detox Salad?
• Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and FODMAP-Aware with Paleo, Whole30, and Keto Option
• Necessary Equipment
• Ingredients and Success Tips
• Related Recipes
• Grilled Summer Detox Salad (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

What is a Detox Salad?

A detox salad is a salad chock-full of vegetables (and sometimes fruit) that, upon eating it, will pump your body full of vitamins and minerals, thereby detoxifying or cleansing you from bad stuff you've ingested. Whether this theory actually works is anyone's guess as I haven't found any evidence that it's been scientifically tested. However, I figure eating a ton of vegetables representing almost every color of the rainbow certainly couldn't hurt, especially if you've been filling your body full of junk for awhile. I always feel great after eating this salad, and it is light and perfect for steamy, hot summer weather.

I discovered this summer detox salad recipe by Lindsay of Pinch of Yum about a year ago, and it's become one of my favorite summer recipes - ever. It's so tasty, crunchy, and cooling that it completely blew our minds. I hope you will find this summer detox salad recipe as mind-blowing as our family does!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and FODMAP-Aware with Paleo, Whole30, and Keto Option

As mentioned, this grilled summer detox salad recipe was originally written to be low FODMAP, but due to new FODMAP information from Monash University, it now exceeds the tolerable amount per serving for fructose. Therefore, I've reclassified this recipe as FODMAP-aware - high in fructose but low in other FODMAP types. It's also gluten-free and dairy-free. As written, it's not Paleo, Whole30, or Keto due to the corn. If you're eating strictly Paleo, Whole30, or Keto, you can simply omit the corn to make it compliant. The homemade ranch dressing for the salad is dairy-free, low FODMAP, Keto, Paleo and Whole30 compliant.

Necessary Equipment

The equipment I use to make this Gluten and Dairy-Free Detox Salad includes:

• Outdoor grill (I use a natural gas grill) or a grill pan on a stovetop
• Chopping board and knife
• Large bowl
• Salad tongs
• Tinfoil
• Basting brush
• Grill tongs
• Skewers (I use three metal skewers)
• Large plates or platters
• Serving spoons
• Paper towel
• Plate with rounded edges
• Kitchen scale (optional)

Ingredients and Success Tips

Make the Dressing

To start, I make a ½ batch of my dairy-free homemade ranch dressing (or a full batch if I plan on using it for other things, like my Buffalo Chicken Salad or Taco Salad). Once made, I cover and refrigerate the dressing until I'm ready to serve the detox salad.

Chop the Raw Vegetables

I use the following vegetables in the base of this detox salad:

• Green leaf or romaine lettuce, chopped
• Cucumber, chopped into small, ¼ inch sized cubes
• Red bell pepper, chopped into cubes
• Orange bell pepper, chopped into cubes

I chop the vegetables and place them in a large bowl, tossing them with my hands or tongs to combine.

Grill the Corn

Once the raw vegetables are good to go, I preheat my grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Then, I prepare two ears of fresh sweet corn for grilling. First, I husk, wash and dry the ears. Then, I place about ¾ of a foot of tinfoil on a clean surface for each ear of corn, placing each ear on top of the foil. Using a basting brush, I brush each ear with ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (or more if needed) and sprinkle them with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I wrap up each ear of corn in the tinfoil, place them on the preheated grill, and cook them for 20 minutes, turning ¼ turn every 5 minutes or so.

Alternatively, you can skip the tinfoil and grill the corn directly on the grill at medium high heat for 12 minutes, turning ¼ turn every 3 minutes. This will give your corn a tasty char from the grill.

Once cooked, I remove the corn from the grill to a large plate or platter and reduce the grill's heat to medium. I set the corn somewhere to cool for a few minutes before removing the tinfoil.

Grill the Shrimp

While the corn is grilling, I thread the shrimp onto three metal skewers and place the skewers on a large plate or baking sheet. I brush the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of garlic-infused olive oil (or more if needed to cover the shrimp) and sprinkle them with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Once the corn has been removed from the grill and the heat set to medium, I place the skewers of shrimp directly on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Using tongs, I remove the shrimp skewers to a fresh plate or baking sheet.

Chop Corn off the Cob

Once the corn has had a chance to cool for a few minutes, I chop the corn kernels off the cob. I do this without burning myself by using a folded up paper towel to hold the tip of the cob of corn on top of a plate with rounded edges and chop everything off underneath, being careful not to get too close to the cob. I then flip the cob over and chop off the corn that was underneath the paper towel.

Assemble the Salads

Using tongs, I place salad base on four plates. I spoon corn and shrimp on top of the raw veggies, and dress everything with ranch dressing.

Storage

If there are any leftovers, I store the corn and shrimp in separate containers from the raw salad so that I can heat them up later in the microwave. All salad components should be stored in airtight containers for up to three days.

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