Butcher’s Union and A Summer Salad

Hello and Happy Friday! As is typical, summer has been going by much too quickly. Here’s hoping that it extends well into the fall like it did last year.

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the fresh summer salads. If you live in the Grand Rapids (Michigan) area or are going through on your way up north, Butcher’s Union is a must! It has been around for a few years now, but the owners have been in the business for a long time and it shows. Not only is the food amazing (again, get the meatball appetizer! I guess that this is my new go-to hors d’oeuvres? See this post for another great meatball spot), but the decor is lovely and exactly what you would expect to find in a city with history.

Although no longer on the menu, one of my all-time favorite salads was created at Butcher’s Union. Since I can no longer order it, I decided to hack it from memory, add my own twist, and try it out on an unsuspecting friend. It was a hit! I never entirely trust my food taste but I absolutely trust all of my friends, so since it was friend-approved, I thought I’d share the recipe here.

2 avocados

1 hothouse cucumber

1 lemon

2 bunches of boston bibb lettuce

¾ cup feta cheese

dressing/ green goddess  this one is what I used but you could also try this one if you wanted to be fancy and make it from scratch

1 can garbanzo beans

olive oil

salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss garbanzo beans in olive oil and salt. Bake for 35-45 minutes, checking frequently at the end.

Meanwhile, wash all veggies. Thinly slice the cucumber. Remove the pit, cube, and scoop the avocado and squeeze lemon juice on the cubes. Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces.

Assemble the salad: toss in the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, feta, and dressing. Top with baked garbanzo beans.

There you have it- the perfect summer salad!