Akron Life August 2023

Go Green Less than 50 miles from Butcher & Sprout in Cuyahoga Falls, Great Lakes Growers in Burton has a hydroponic greenhouse where the kale, arugula and spinach grow that end up on your plate at the farm-to-table restaurant. These vitamin-rich superfoods are good for weight loss, heart health and lowering cholesterol, but executive chef Logan Johnson knows they can be bitter. So he tosses the greens blend in extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to make it more palatable while still being nutritious. “It tones it down a little bit,” he says. “I love adding kale. It’s a great superfood to add in salads, adds a nice crunch too. … It’s really rich in antioxidants, high in fiber.” With seasoned greens and flavorful toppings, Butcher & Sprout’s nourishing salads are wholesome alternatives to heavy sandwiches. New this season is the Fresh Summer Veg salad ($13), which is inspired by a simple cucumber, red bell pepper and Vidalia onion salad Johnson’s mom used to make. He punches it up with Cleveland goat cheese and summery sunflower seeds instead of carb loaded croutons over the seasoned greens blend. He makes a cucumber-lime vinaigrette with vinegar and pulverized cucumbers and limes for striking flavor. “It reminds you of a hot summer day,” Johnson says. “It’s very bright, vibrant.” For some indulgence, the roasted beet salad ($10) features beets from Middlefield, Ohio, Cleveland goat cheese and a balsamic glaze joined by wal nuts candied in a sugary syrup and roasted. It all gets tossed with the seasoned arugula for a delectable salad. “The balsamic is a very rich flavor, and the goat cheese is very creamy. The two balance out,” says president and co-owner Cassie Testa. “The beets add more of an earthy tone.” Johnson opted for a bolder blue cheese for the new avocado and apple salad ($14) that pops with slices of red onion, which are pickled in-house for six hours, creating a garnish with a pungent flavor that “smacks you in the face,” he says. There’s a play of sweet and salty with green apples, Craisins and chopped smoked cherry bacon over the seasoned greens blend. A creamy house-made avocado vinaigrette mel lows it out, as do avocado slices in the dish that fuels you without weighing you down. “There’s a lot of crunch, a lot of freshness. … Avocado, it’s great omega-3s,” Johnson says. “It’s a nice refreshing, light salad.” KP 1846 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls, butcherandsprout.com

+3 Salad Spots •

Crave, 156 S. Main St., Akron, eatdrinkcrave.com D.B.A., Dante Boccuzzi Akron, 21 Furnace St., Akron, danteakron.com Grazers, 123 N. Water St., Kent, grazerskent.com

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AUGUST 2023 | akronlife.com