Hooking You Up with The Best Summer Salad. Ever.

It’s rare for me to get wildly excited about salad. Sure, some are better than others. In Newport, I like the tuscan kale with avocado, pine nuts and parmesan at Bar ‘Cino, rivaled only by their ​​arugula salad with marinated cannellini beans and chicories. Close friends swear by the chopped salad at The Mooring, then there’s the enduring element salad at The Fifth Element which stands out for its golden and red beets, shaved asparagus, goat cheese and crispy pancetta, and I adore the Clarke Cooke House’s warm Brussels sprouts salad with white anchovy. 

Up until this summer, I had never been to Sweetgreen. “What, do you live on an island?‘ Yes, as a matter of fact. And even though Rhode Island opened its first Sweetgreen less than a year ago, it was in Boston on a recent evening I was beyond tired and very un-purposely walked through its exhaustedly opened door and literally just ordered the first salad I saw on the posted menu. I followed the kind employee down the ingredients line, “yessing” the whole way (save for the grape  tomatoes). 

When I got back to my hotel room and robotically started eating my dinner, it was a “hold the phone” moment. Turns out, “Guacamole Greens” is a game-changer to the point where I ordered it four more times while in Boston —four — and looked online to see if there was a recipe so I could replicate it at home. Turns out, the folks at goop and I think alike as the wellness website has published the recipe, so I’m sharing it with you.

Modify as you wish, of course. Instead of roasted chicken, I pan seared organic chicken with a little olive oil and butter. Often, I omit the chicken altogether and add chickpeas instead. And I always omit the grape tomatoes – I only like them roasted. Also, don’t swap the grapeseed oil for olive oil in the vinaigrette. It might seem like no big deal but it doesn’t work the same way. Tip: the recipe calls for  mixed lettuces, so I combine the organic baby spinach and kale salad from Aldi with their spring mix. Lastly, this recipe yields four servings, so most days, I just halve this recipe to keep. Without further adieu:

Ingredients
½ pound mixed lettuces (like red leaf, butter leaf and little gems), chopped up
¾ pound warm toasted chicken, cut into chunks
2 cups tortilla chips
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup red onion, small dice
2 each avocado, large dice
2 limes, cut in half
3/4 cup lime cilantro jalapeno dressing 

Lime Cilantro Jalapeño Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon red onion, minced
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but I recommend)
1 1/2 cups grapeseed oil

Steps

1. Start by making the dressing. Combine all ingredients except the oil in a blender (I use this Vitamix which is on sale — it’s still pricey but you buy it once and you’ll have it for life, audit’s awesome) . Blend on low to chop everything up, then slowly add the oil while blending to create an emulsion. Season to taste with more salt if necessary.
2. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl just before serving. When ready to eat, squeeze over the lime and toss with dressing to taste.

You’re welcome.