While Portland has no shortage of incredible salads—as we’ve showcased throughout Portland Salad Week—Meg and I were eager to explore beyond the city limits in search of more salad treasure. Our adventure took us to the heart of the Willamette Valley, where we visited five distinct food destinations that each offered a unique and delicious taste of the region’s local, seasonal bounty. Here are the Willamette Valley salads we enjoyed and the places we visited.
Welcome again to the first day of Portland Salad Week! With summer in full swing, there’s no shortage of fresh and flavorful salads across the Portland metro area. While most restaurant menus feature classic market greens, which are lovely this time of year, this week brings something extra special: well-crafted Salad Week restaurant specials by local restaurants.
Summer is almost here, which means you’re more likely to visit your local farmers markets. Even though it’s tempting to leave the kids at home, we encourage you to reconsider and bring them to these kid friendly farmers markets in Portland. Not only does spring and summer provide the best opportunities for your entire family to sample fresh produce, farmers markets around Portland feature fun and engaging activities that get the whole family involved.
“Now that I’ve got said produce in hand, how do I prepare it at home so my kids actually eat it ,” you may ask? Our friends at PDX Parent have put together a few tips and activities that help you get those healthful veggies and fruits into your kiddos’ mouthes.
Here are our top picks for Kid Friendly Farmers Markets in Portland:
It’s no myth, but kids generally don’t (yet) love salad. And while some vegetable salads are an exception, it’s usually the fruit salads that get all the cheers. It’s great to see when restaurants in Portland offer a nice fruit salad to go with a kid entree instead of the usual suspects such as french fries, chips, or tater tots. But where do you find a great fruit salad? For starters, you can make one at home. Here’s my take on heartier fruit salad that features cantaloupe, pieces of prosciutto, fresh strawberries, and some basil. As you can see, it was a hit!
And now without further ado, here is a roundup of Portland restaurants that will surely attract those young palates with a fresh, delicious, and seasonal fruit salad.
Cubo de Cuba
I’m a big fan of Cubo and have been coming here with my family for years. It’s great that they can make any bowl, plate, or sandwich kid friendly (see above!) and while they don’t serve a traditional fruit salad, their Caribbean salad is one to try. If your kid likes mango (and both of mine do), they’ll appreciate this vibrant salad, which in addition to mango also boasts brined cucumbers, avocado and lime juice. So fresh and so yummy!
What would a Portland Salad Week be without inspiring salad recipes? We’ve put together some of our greatest hits for you to enjoy at home. Creativity, flexibility, and fresh ingredients are always encouraged. If you have some fun moderations to the below recipes, we’d love to hear about them, so leave us a comment below.
