Jan's Health Bar Classic Salad with Vegetarian Turkey, Avocado and Herby Vinaigrette
Mixed greens, avocado, white cheddar, sunflower seeds, cucumber, tomato, carrots, mushrooms, and sprouts with a fresh herb vinaigrette. Inspired by Jan's Health Bar in Huntington Beach, California
Jennifer Ann Blair writes about food, wine, and the stories that live in recipe boxes.
Jan’s Health Bar opened in 1972, inside the iconic Huntington Surf and Sport. She chose a good spot. It was always the first place we stopped to shop, hang out, and pick up a smoothie from Jan’s Health Bar.
Later, Jan’s moved to its own location on Main Street. A Huntington Beach institution in its own right, it’s been in business for more than 50 years. Jan retired after 38 years and passed the business on to her very first employee, Poppy Holguin. Now with even more locations throughout Southern California, new dishes on the menu, catering available, and still the same delicious food with the same warmth you felt from Jan and her original staff. Her mission to respect the product she created. Poppy kept it that way. They’re still serving the local community, those who stayed in town, and those who come back and make it the first stop.
This salad recipe is inspired by Jan’s. My sisters, my friends, my mom, her friends, our colleagues. Anyone we grew up with ate at Jan’s — picked up a salad daily, regularly. The best thing about these salads was how fresh they always were, and how fun it was to walk up Main Street (or bike) to Jan’s, get a salad, have chips, and enjoy the sun, the ocean breeze, and the afternoon.
My sister, the spinach salad sister, was obsessed. I thought I was. But she really, really loved those salads, with the vegetarian turkey, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, sprouts, sunflower seeds, and an herb vinaigrette. No mushrooms for her, or my other sister. Loving mushrooms only made its way, DNA-wise, to my mom and me. The rest of the family. No thanks.
Between the freedom we enjoyed and the proximity to the ocean, we were a lucky group to have experienced the celebrated years of Huntington Beach’s “Surf City” culture. It still hosts Surfing Championships, Huntington Surf and Sport is still open, and the Pier is still standing. It’s busier there now, more developed, but the memories don’t disappear, and neither does my desire for Jan’s Vegetarian Turkey Salad with Herb Vinaigrette.
Notes
This vinaigrette dresses both salads with a little left over. Store the remainder in the mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. It works on anything.
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then use a small spoon to scoop the seeds out or a paring knife to slice them away. English cucumbers have very tiny, soft seeds, so removing them is optional. But it helps keep the salad from getting watery.
To prepare the vegetarian turkey, use Unreal Roasted Turkey Premium Plant Based Deli Slices from Whole Foods. One package makes enough for two salads. Add to a food processor with two tablespoons of vegan mayo and one teaspoon of Spike seasoning. Pulse until it reaches a scoopable consistency. Jan’s scoops it generously over the salad. Do the same.
Jan’s offers a choice of protein. So do I. Vegetarian turkey, chicken breast, chicken salad, tuna salad, turkey, or skip the protein entirely and let the avocado do the work. You can also skip the white cheddar cheese or add dairy-free options.
While You’re Here…
Jennifer Ann Blair writes about what’s worth remembering — a recipe, a person, a salad you dream about.