My favorite salad.
This is my favorite salad.
Normally, I have to go out to Avenues Proper in Salt Lake City to get my fix. It’s where I first had this salad after a day of protesting at the Utah State Capitol with my best friend. I always think that is fun, going to a protest then getting lunch afterwards. Haha may not be a perfect activist, but I enjoy myself.
I had the craving for this specific salad last night, but didn’t want to go out. Read: I didn’t want to spend all my money on one dinner out.
So I decided to recreate the dish at home!
I went to my trusty Harmons Grocery which has just the best produce and a great selection of artisanal and curated cheeses, toppings, and dressings. My cousin once said he could spend all day in a Harmon’s, just looking at the products so beautifully displayed and I agree! Maybe we need a family reunion at the grocery store haha.
The salad’s base is a mix of arugula and baby kale. At the restaurant, it’s just served with arugula, but I saw this salad mix at Harmon’s and decided to give it a shot. I love the baby kale which adds a little bit of bitterness and bite which contrasts so nicely with the sweet steamed beets.
Beets.
There’s a high school here in Utah whose mascot is the Beetdiggers. The Jordan Beetdiggers. I drive past it all the time when I am at my Mom’s house. It was the high school where I took my ACT test way back in 2013. I got a 32 on my ACT. Still pretty proud of that. I kept trying for 33. A perfect score on the ACT is a 36, and I thought if I got a 33 I could go to Cornell. I realized the cost of the Ivy Leagues and schools like Carleton College or Reed College and decided I was better off saving my money and attending the University of Utah. I got a full-ride scholarship to the U, but lost it due to getting into a car accident on my way to work as a waitress at Denny’s that totaled my car and gave me a severe concussion. I was taking Calculus, Organic Chemistry, and Cell Biology at the time and didn’t stand a chance with my brain so rattled.
I often wonder if that car crash set off a chain of events that would lead to my development of Schizoaffective Bipolar Disorder. It was a severe frontal lobe trauma when I was 20 years old and really impacted me for years to come. I basically had to learn how to read and write again after the concussion. I was so ashamed of not being able to process information and retain it, I kept how much I was struggling a secret from everyone around me.
I flunked that semester.
I decided to give up on my dream of becoming a doctor and change majors. I had all my pre-recs completed because I got my International Baccalaureate diploma in High School. So I just took a semester of Sociology classes to get my GPA up. I managed to get straight A's. I then decided I wanted to try Political Science and English. So I signed up for those courses and the rest is history. I managed to graduate with a 3.7 GPA despite that awful semester. I retook some of the courses I failed (I managed to get a B+ in Calculus) and was okay. I also had a cancerous tumor removed fall semester of my senior year of college. Lots of health issues for me during my college years.
I managed to survive and even got an internship with Senator Harry Reid when I graduated in 2014. He was Senate Majority Leader at the time and I lucked into a cushy role in Democratic communications working out of the Capitol Building. It was such an incredible experience. I was in the same room as Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, and Elizabeth Warren multiple times. I got to see how the levers of power worked.
My favorite part of my internship was after hours. We would be done for the day (or they just told us to be done, the work was never really over) and I would go explore with my intern badge in the Capitol. Do you know, there are a lot of tiny offices no one uses anymore, but were there for the Senators in the 1800s who held very little power? Haha, I loved opening doors and seeing the most random small rooms around the Capitol.
Anyways, the salad. I sauteed some chicken with salt and pepper, paprika, and Italian spices. I really love sauteed chicken. It is so versatile and works well with so many meals. I lovingly remember Nong’s poached chicken and rice in Portland. Had that almost every day when I was working in downtown Portland, OR. Got to go back and get me some Nong’s.
This is the basic components of the salad.
Madeline’s Favorite Salad
Bed of arugula and baby kale. Or just arugula. Or just kale. Whatever you have.
1 or 2 Sauteed chicken breast. Spice it the way you like. My favorite is with salt & pepper, paprika, and Italian herbs.
4 beets, scrubbed, quartered and steamed for 30 minutes. I use my Always Pan with the steamer basket and it turns out great. I blanch the beets afterwards in a bowl of water with ice.
Goat cheese. Chevre. I use about half of the log for the salad and use the other half for an hors d’oeurve with crackers. Or you could make this salad for two. Pray for my love life.
Sunflower seeds or pepitas.
Juice of one lemon mixed with three tablespoons of olive oil for the dressing.
Put the salad mix on the plate. Plate the cooked chicken over the salad mix. Add the blanched beets, goat cheese, sunflower seeds, and top with the lemon juice and olive oil dressing. Enjoy immediately.