To quote Homer Simpson: “You can’t make friends with salad”. That’s been a motto of mine for sometime now. I love food, all kinds of food – so for me, I’ve mostly considered salad on my plate as a garnish and not as the main event. I mean, c’mon, greens? For lunch, maybe… but for for dinner; really?

So it’s not surprising that I was skeptical about visiting The Chopped Leaf – a franchise focusing on handcrafted and healthy salads and wraps. These franchises have been popping all over the lower mainland like popcorn.

For our first visit I tried the Beet Salad – A seasonal offering of raw beets, walnuts, basmati rice, kale and feta cheese. I found the salad to be quite satisfying and filling. For $10 you get a more than decent portion. I added some chicken to my salad for extra protein, which went very well with the homemade honey dijon dressing that came with it. It truly was a very satisfying autumn meal.

My dining partner opted to create his own salad from the menu and ordered a large variety of proteins to go with it: eggs, tuna and chicken. I gotta admit, it looked good.

The New Westminster location has been opened for about a year. I got a chance to speak with Mandeep, the owner. He’s really proud of the fact that all dressings and soups are made in house, and that the produce is fresh. The location is small but busy – a steady flow of customers coming and going, and it was only Monday night.

The Beet Bowl was very tasty, but the Southwest bowl really knocked it out of the park for me. Lots of salsa, sour cream, rice, avocado, corn and beans. I added chicken and I’m happy I did.

I also ordered a Chopped Water: Fruit-infused water. The flavours change daily, so this time I had mint and strawberry.

So there you have it, it is possible to make friends with salad. I was pleasantly surprised with Chopped Leaf, so much in fact, that I want you to try it for yourself. Click on this link for a chance to win a Chopped Leaf prize pack that includes a $50 gift card. A winner will be picked weekly until October 30. For extra chances, make sure to tag any mentions of @choppedleaf on Twitter with #unbeetabowl. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was approached by The Chopped Leaf to write this post. I was hesitant like I mentioned before, because I’m not a big fan of salads. However this franchise impressed me. Opinions are my own. Contest is not managed by VBB –  its winner will be chosen and contacted by a The Chopped Leaf representative.