First things first! Happy Easter, I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend! I thought about posting something Easter inspired today but then I thought… that’s likely what everyone else is doing so I’m going to go against the grain and do something different… here goes!
There’s this salad, it’s called the “500 Salad” from a restaurant chain called JOEY. It’s amazing. I’ve probably ordered it a dozen times (no joke). It’s called the “500 Salad” because it is supposed to contain 500 calories.
Now, 500 calories isn’t a bad thing, the salad is full of fresh, healthy ingredients, but that “500” doesn’t include a protein, and I always like to include an animal protein to balance out my meal, so… essentially, the salad really becomes the 600 to 700 salad in the end.
Unfortunately, for little ol’ me, that’s just too many calories for one meal, especially because I eat 5 to 6 times per day! Although I’m not super nit-picky about my calorie intake (been there, done that, not fun), I do keep an overall awareness and mindfulness of what and how much I eat each day to maintain my overall health and feel good, not sluggish like I do if I overeat.
So, I took it upon myself to recreate this amazing little salad and revamp it a little to turn it into a “400 Salad” (perfect for me!) with protein included! I was really impressed at how much my version tasted like the restaurant salad even with a few hundred less calories and still a great amount of nutrition.
I bet you’re wondering…what does this amazingly delicious salad consist of?
Well, it begins with a bunch of kale and arugula tossed with diced cauliflower, cucumber, and a sprinkle of fresh mint in a sweet mustard vinaigrette (yum!). Next comes diced avocado, heirloom cherry tomatoes, crunchy chopped almonds, thinly sliced watermelon radish (which I got in my SPUD delivery this past week!), grilled, then chopped chicken breast, and another bunch of arugula for that added flair!
The combination is divine – fresh, crunchy, juicy and light with a hint of tangy sweetness! Can you see why I’ve ordered this salad over and over again?!
I decided to make some changes from the restaurant version by cutting down the sugar and oil in the dressing (the dressings in restaurant salads seem to always be the biggest culprit for unnecessary added calories), and omitting the quinoa, barley, and currants. Quinoa and barley are wonderful, healthy grains, but I wanted to ensure I was able to fit in a serving of protein while keeping this salad in the 400-calorie range. Plus, the array of vegetables add a nice amount of carbohydrates for energy and tie in well with the healthy fats and protein.
The salad dressing is light and simple! A combination of olive oil, vinegar, shallots, honey, and mustard; a perfect mix of sweet, tangy, and salty! I love when my salads are just lightly dressed (no sloppy salads please!) so I only use about a tablespoon of dressing. Although the portion may be small, the flavour goes a long way!
If you have a JOEY Restaurant in your city and you haven’t tried the “500 Salad” it’s definitely worth ordering (with easy dressing…), and if you don’t have one… just make my revamped version and experience the deliciousness at home!!
- 8oz baked or grilled chicken breast, chopped
- 2 cups kale
- 1 cup arugula
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup finely diced cauliflower
- ½ cup cucumber, diced
- ½ cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced (I used a mandolin)
- ½ small avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
- Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
- Cook the chicken as preferred, chop and set in a bowl in the fridge to cool.
- In a large bowl add the kale, arugula, mint, cucumber, cauliflower and mix to combine.
- In a small jar add the dressing ingredients and shake vigorously until emulsified.
- Pour the dressing over the kale mixture and toss to coat.
- Divide the kale mixture among two plates.
- Divide the tomatoes, radish, avocado, and almonds between each plate by layering over the kale mixture.
- Garnish with a few springs of arugula.
- Enjoy!
Do you have a restaurant salad or meal that you just love and have revamped yourself at home? I’d love to hear about it!
Have a wonderful Easter Sunday!
Christal
Nutritionist in the Kitch
hi Christal! i just stumbled upon this and can’t wait to try it!
i don’t eat meat – i would assume using a baked/grilled salmon (or tuna) would work just as well?
also… i have NO clue what spud is (lol) – do you think i’ll have trouble finding watermelon radishes?
super excited to try a version of this!
Hi Cara! You can definitely sub in a different protein, and about the watermelon radishes, they might be tough to find depending on where you live but you can always go with regular radish if you can’t find it! 🙂
How much quinoa and barley are in the original and what are the cooking instructions. Thanks for your recipe
Hi Arlene, I’m not sure! I have never asked at the restaurant, I would guess around 1/4 to 1/2 cup! Cooking for quinoa is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water, I’m not 100% sure for barley but I believe it’s the same!
Thank you for your prompt reply. I am planning to make it for my Book Club as a meal so thought I would add those 2 extra ingredients. I will serve it with Butterfly shrimp on a skewer like Joey’s does. Enjoyed your ideas; especially the nutritional information though so thank you for that……
You are very welcome Arlene!! 🙂 Enjoy!
I too love this Joey’s salad, but was wondering what instructions and amounts do I need if I decide to add the quinoa and barley. Thank you
Hi Arlene, see my other comment 🙂
Hi Christal, This looks amazing and it also looks like dinner tonight 🙂 What kind of mustard do you use?
Thanks Deb! I use just a regular mustard but any kind will go great! 🙂
I always try to recreate my favorite dishes from restaurants! This salad looks so pretty — the color of the watermelon radish is lovely. Pinning it now.
Thanks so much Brittany! Yes I love watermelon radish – so glad I found it through SPUD!
This is worth making just to look at — so pretty! And, ok, it sounds damn tasty, too. I love simple, shalloty dressings. I’ve got a bunch of arugula calling my name in the kitchen just now. Seems pretty meant to be! 🙂
Thanks Em! Yes, the shallots make the dressing extra yummy and I think you better get using that peppery arugula!! Definitely meant to be 😉
This looks and sounds amazing! A colourful salad that makes you smile even before you’ve started digging in 😀
And kudos for not posting an Eastery recipe, need a little bit of this too 😀 x
Hehe thanks Julie! Appreciate the comment as always!
Looks so so so good!!!!
Ooo it sure is!!
YUM! looks like my kinda salad. I’m always looking for new salad inspiration so thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Michele!
This looks delish! What I’m most excited about though is my husband and I are taking a vacation out to Seattle/Portland in a few weeks (from FL) and are looking for great places to eat. We’re totally going to Joey’s! 🙂
Ooo! Awesome! I’m heading there this summer – If you find any other great spots to eat I’d love to know about them! Have a great trip!
This looks sooo good! But how can all of those things in a salad NOT be good!
Totally!! 🙂