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The Chopped Green Goddess Salad is wonderful. I prepared it two nights in a row – we love it. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Beverly Dungan
You know those times when you come back from a vacation? *droopy sad face*
I think I might have mentioned it a bajillion times already but we just got back from a very warm, very sunny, very extra relaxing vacation to Arizona. I’m still grieving the loss of the vacation, but on the upside, I’m really excited to show you some pics of the trip highlights! Today’s post has half of the vacation photos because I am slow and sometimes I need two posts to get my act together.
But wait! Salad salad salad. Okay okay okay.
The goods on the plate this week: almonds, spinach, pea shoots, avocado, cilantro, garlic, and olive oil. LOTSA good for your body stuff + mouth rocking flavor. And actually, thank you for asking, I think I WILL go for a sprinkle of feta cheese on my detox salad. That’s how I do these detox-ery things.
May I quickly announce my new green discovery of the week? PEA SHOOTS.
Hey cute. Those little freshy sprouty guys are yummy on, well, let me think. Literally EVERYTHING. I found them at Trader Joe’s, but maybe they’re sold at all grocery stores? I wouldn’t know. I’m still learning about these new vegetables and stuff.
So let’s lunch on tasty greens and talk about Arizona highlights! First stop:
Grandma and Grandpa’s House
My grandparents are Minnesota natives who migrate south every winter to enjoy the sunny paradise of A-Z. Whiiich works out well for us because we like to crash at their place and eat my Grandma’s cooking and play frisbee with my Grandpa and chill out under the orange trees in their backyard.
We had some epically long breakfast table talks after stuffing ourselves with granola, warm croissants, and grapefruit fresh off the tree in the backyard. Followed by more sipping on some coffee, talking about life, grabbing one more croissant, and getting a refill of freshly squeeze orange juice. And was anyone planning to eat this last half of a croissant here? That’s how we roll at Grandma’s house.
My favorite part about going to Arizona in the spring is the orange trees. Like, WOW. This is the time of year when the orange trees are blossoming, so they have those pretty little white flowers and over and they smell like a dream. Plus, juicy fresh oranges available for your picking whenever the snack attack hits.
Poor Bjork was sneezing left and right – what do they call that again – allergies? All I know is that for me, the smell of the orange blossoms is one of my favorites it all the great wide world. It’s like breathing in candy-sweet fruit SUGAR OXYGEN all the live long day. It’s just incredible.
What a treat to be able to stay with my grandparents + eat Grandma’s lemon pie after every meal for three days straight.
Next time, beware. We might set up shop for more like a month.
Montelucia Resort and Spa
So after part one of the ultimate relaxation, we moved on to part two: Montelucia Resort and Spa.
I’d like to tell you that usually Bjork doesn’t wear pants and a sweatshirt at the pool. But, *sigh*. I don’t know. He’s not really one for the sun.
This resort is the kind where you don’t even have to go to the real spa to feel like you’re at a spa. Know what I mean? It just has that close-your-eyes-and-feel-good vibe about it. I spent most of my time at the pool, reading The Book Thief, crying for a few minutes into Bjork’s sunscreened shoulder over The Book Thief (oh Rudy ♥), eating quesadillas and french fries like a good vacationer, reading and devouring Divergent, and doing my best to soak up the sun.
We’re that couple that goes half sun (me) and half shade (mah boy), so finding a good pool or beach set up is not something that we do well. Usually we end up on completely separate sides of the pool and just plan to reconnect for dinner. But Montelucia’s two pristine pools, shady umbrellas, comfy chairs, palm trees, incredible mountainous view, and mesmerizing fountains made for a completely perfect pool experience, and once we found our half-and-half spot, we were each in our happy places.
We had this gorgeous room overlooking the mountain/pool/fountain/greens and flower and palm trees and such. If you want to see more thoughtful, less rushed-to-get-to-the-pool pictures of the room, check it on out. My favorite part which is partially pictured here was our spacious patio.
Although a close second for me would have to be the bathroom. Like, seriously. There was gold, glass, patterns, textures, clean lines, and sparkly things. One thing worth mentioning: I LOVE NICE BATHROOMS. Good thing we bought an old house with a sort of weird small bathroom, right? Mmhm.
I was on Spring Break from my job as an elementary school teacher this week, but the funny thing about my other job (blogging) is that it doesn’t ever take a break, and you can do it from anywhere. We tried to take time to relax – the kind of relaxing where you don’t do any work.
But we are also the kind of people who sometimes “relax” by checking blog comments, and then going to the pool, and then catching up on email, and then reading another book. So as much as we try to pull away, sometimes it’s hard because a) there’s a lot to do, all the time, and b) both Bjork and I love our work. What a gift, and I mean that in the most serious, reverent, not mocking way possible. We are thankful.
Each morning I got some blog work done on the patio in the sun with coffee in hand and a muffin at my side. Um, that can’t be work, right? But I think it was. But it felt like vacation. WHAT’S GOING ON.
PS. In case you’re a person who looks closely at faces, that’s a chicken pox scar on my forehead, accentuated perfectly by the morning sun. We can really be friends now that you know about the childhood scars on my face and stuff.
So.
What a beautiful place. We loved it. Thanks to Montelucia for showing us such warm (literally) hospitality! I would totally for sure in a heartbeat recommend this resort to anyone looking for a nice place to stay in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Actually, a few of you commented on Instagram and said that you had been here, too, so I know we’ve got some fans in the group already.
Fingers crossed that we’ll be back. Maybe if I tap my heels three times and close my eyes and start chanting.
Er, too much sun.
So the main event in this post is the salad.
When I come home from vacation, I’m usually inspired to eat something that I tried and loved from a restaurant. Enter: Green Goddess Detox Salad.
We ate at Prado, the restaurant at Montelucia (wait though, go look at the main picture on their website and see how gorgeous it is and imagine how romantic it is at night, and then forgive me for not taking more pictures). One of the incredible parts of my meal was a shredded kale salad with house made Green Goddess dressing and cool creamy chunks of avocado. Yummy yumm yum-diddly-doo. I thought to myself –> go home and make Green Goddess dressing.
So I did, and I made my own little detox (“”) salad with some other healthy things that would help me recover from the aforementioned poolside quesadillas and french fries. But this might be just as good. I love everything in this salad and I love that it makes my body super magically glowy and powerful and healthy. Or whatever.
Chopped Green Goddess Salad
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This Green Goddess Detox Salad has lots of good for you ingredients like avocado, almonds, herbs, and a delicious Green Goddess dressing.
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups spinach
- 1–2 cups pea shoots
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup almonds, crushed or chopped
- 1 avocado, cut into chunks
Green Goddess Dressing
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper (I left the ribs and seeds – it was spicy and delicious)
- 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup packed cilantro
- 2 scallions
Instructions
- Puree all the dressing ingredients together, adding the cilantro last and stopping when the texture feels right to you. I went for little green flecks of cilantro and scallion throughout.
- Toss the salad ingredients together with dressing; serve immediately.
Notes
Okay okay, I know, technically this isn’t a “detox” salad because I included a small amount of feta and Greek yogurt. But it’s close enough for me, and if it’s not close enough for you, it’s also really easy to omit both of those ingredients. For the dressing, just increase the amount of oil and acid slightly and/or use almond butter to thicken. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: detox salad, green goddess salad, healthy salad recipe
This was so yummy – thank you! I was a bit wary of the dressing ingredients but they work perfectly! 🙂
Glad to hear you enjoyed the salad, Kiarra!
Losing my hammy stomach and eating healtier food is on the agenda right nor for weight loss. 🙂
lol
Oh man this looks delish! I love pea shoots!! I just came across your recipe and thought, this is definitely what’s for dinner!! I follow the keto diet and almost everything on the list works perfect! I am curious about the nutrition though. Obviously if I’m not using exactly the same ingredients as you are, there will be a slight difference. I got 14g carbs per serving(6g if I omit the agave) while you got 47.3g. I guess it doesn’t really matter!lol it just means I can eat this totally guilt free!haha! Just curious is all on how our numbers were so different!
The salad looks beautiful, you take such gorgeous pictures.
Love your recipes … will be making this today!
Do you pack spinach to measure? Or is it loose?
I’d consider it “loosely packed” – just don’t pack it too much to the point of bruising the spinach!
LOVED the green goddess salad recipe! Thanks so much for sharing such a healthy and delicious meal!
Oh my goodness! I would eat like a Goddess every day if it looked this good! xx
What canwe use instead of pea shoots which are unavailable where I live??Love your fantastic blog..
Good question! Pea shoots are essentially the same as sprouts, so you could use any sprouts you have access to and you’ll end up with a similar salad.
Just read the other day about the health benefits i can get with avacado (mainly for my hair, lol) so I will definitely try it! Thanks
I know this is an older post, but ran across the salad on pinterest and fell head over heels for your blog! I lived in AZ for a hot second after college and your pictures make me miss it so much!! Definitely a new follower!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that Ashley!
OMG I just made the salad and is so delicious and dressing is so good. I purchase all my ingredients at trader joes
Thanks Wanda! Love hearing that.
This salad was amazing! Couldn’t find pea shoots so I just used sprouts. I took it to a dinner party last night and it was a huge hit. I’ve never had a spicy dressing before. I loved it! Thanks for sharing. :0)
Sounds like you had a lovely holiday! I love eating different food on holiday and then coming home and recreating it, and you’ve done a great job here – this salad looks delicious, I cant wait to try it out 🙂
The Chopped Green Goddess Salad is wonderful. I prepared it two nights in a row – we love it. Thanks for such a great recipe.
So great to hear it Beverly!
This salad is EXACTLY what I want today! I have everything except the pea shoots and I’ll zip over to Sprouts for them in a little bit. Thanks for the timely (do you have ESP?) post!
BTW – my husband and I occasionally stay at the Montelucia when we visit Phoenix – if you can bear the heat, they typically have amazing deals in the summer (like $99/night w/$50/night credit to Prado or Joia (the spa)!
Awesome! I really wanted to check out Joya but we were so short on time. Next time though!
Oh my goodness Lindsey Minnesota must be just now catching up to the good things in life! I think I grew up on pea shoots and granola stuff has my husband would say being from Oregon. Love this salad it looks amazing and I can never pass on Green Goddess Dressing! I mean who could with the name goddess in it!
Oh this looks simply divine! I just returned from a dreamy beach vacation and this salad looks like the perfect antidote for my re-entry blues!
Re-entry blues be gone! 🙂
This is the most perfect looking salad for me. I need those little extras to get me to eat the salad. Love it!
I made this salad and dressing this past weekend. WOW! My guests were blown away, as was I! This recipe is a keeper-so easy and nutritious. It’s gonna be on the Easter table for sure!
Thanks Mary!
I, too, have a chicken pox scar on my forehead. I noticed it immediately because apparently we are chicken pox scar twinsies. Salad looks amazing!
Lindsay,
I am so glad you LOVED AZ. I live in Phoenix and my husband actually works at the Montelucia. 🙂 So it was extra fun to read about this on your blog.
Don’t be a stranger to the sun!
Oh how fun! What a great place to work! 🙂
I seriously think orange blossoms are the best. smell. ever. I love when the trees bloom and I can smell the scent coming in through our windows… it’s heaven.
That’s so incredibly awesome that your grandparents migrate to AZ during the winters! I’ve actually been contemplating doing something like that in the future because the cold and I mix about as well as oil and water. (I have this bad circulation syndrome thing, which makes winters 100x more painful. No fun!) But oh my gaaaaah both their house and the resort look amazing!! I’d do the same thing: sit by the pool (in the sun, of course!) with a book and possibly some fresh fruit (watermelon sounds perfect right about now) and forget all about the rest of the world for hours on end. If only we could take a vacation from blogs sometimes! 😉 And feta cheese? Basically the best cheese in the world, along with goat cheese. So it definitely belongs on a feel-good detox salad in my book!
I have to admit that I was looking closely at that scar because I have one just like it (also from chicken pox)! You’re just that much cooler to me now:)
Haha! Yes! 🙂 Scar friends!