Last week was my work organization’s annual general meeting. Because I was staying to help with it, they were willing to feed me dinner. Someone suggested Chopped Leaf. I hadn’t heard of it or tried it, so I looked online to see if there was anything keto on their menu. Here’s what I found about keto and Chopped Leaf.
The Philosophy of Chopped Leaf
Blair Stevens and his wife founded Chopped Leaf. The philosophy behind the franchised restaurant is that you feel good after you eat. That’s a pretty neat concept, as often I eat out and I feel horrible afterwards. My stomach hurts, I feel tired, and I have instant regret. But this place has a menu that changes slightly throughout the year, as they pride themselves on fresh ingredients. They say they have something for everyone. Vegan and vegetarians? Yep. Gluten allergies? No problem. But, do they have something for people on keto?
Where Are They Located?
I hadn’t heard of them before, but I do tend to be out of the loop a lot. Looking online, I found that they have locations across Canada. This includes B.C. (where they started), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and good old Nova Scotia. They also have a franchise in the United States, in Washington. Ours here in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia opened in 2021, so I guess I’m not that far out of the loop.
Nutritional Information at Chopped Leaf
Their nutritional information is easy to find and easy to follow. Every item on the menu has a link to their information. The easiest menu item to make keto-friendly is their salads. I know, there’s a myth out there that keto people don’t eat vegetables, but that is truly a myth. We quite enjoy our salads and we make sure that we are getting our proper vitamins and nutrients.
Salads at Chopped Leaf
There are a few salads you can eat as they are on the menu. Of course, you can change them a little to make them even more keto friendly, if you like. The first is the Bold Buffalo salad. It has romaine lettuce, peppers, onion, parmesan cheese, bacon bits, croutons, ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce. It’s 13 grams of net carbs, and that’s with the croutons. Speaking of croutons, their Caesar salad has 9 net grams of carbs with the croutons. If you get it without them, it’s a great option.
The Mediterranean has 11 grams of net carbs and features romaine lettuce, feta cheese, cucumber, grape tomatoes, onions, crushed pita chips, tzatziki, and Greek vinaigrette dressing. I would get it without the crushed pita chips and it will be well below 10 grams of carbs.
The Sunshine salad only has 8 grams of net carbs and it includes pieces of apple! The greens are a chopping mix and then they add avocado, cucumber, mozzarella cheese, apples, and goddess dressing. What is goddess dressing? I had to go back into our archives, because I remember talking about goddess dressing before. I was sure I hadn’t eaten at Chopped Leaf before, and I was right. Restaurantosaurus in Animal Kingdom features a salad with this dressing, and I had done a blog on eating keto there. It is a sour cream and mayonnaise based dressing with different herbs included.
Soups Can Be An Option Too
There are several soups at Chopped Leaf that offer their small servings with under 10 grams of net carbs. Creamy cauliflower has 8 grams, and spicy creamy tomato has just 4 grams of net carbs. The Thai curry soup has 9 grams of net carbs. Their mushroom chowder has 8 grams of net carbs.
Dressings at Chopped Leaf
The only dressing you should stay away from is (accurately) named Evil Peanut. It has 10 grams of carbs in it. I actually picked one that wasn’t great as far as carb counts go because I didn’t check their nutritional information before I ordered. I got cocky and thought I could wing it when I ordered chipotle ranch. It wasn’t too bad, at 4 grams of net carbs. The chipotle lime citrus dressing has 5 grams of net carbs. The rest all have 3 grams or less of net carbs.
Chopped Leaf Proteins
Tuna and shrimp have no carbs, so they are great to add to your salad. The rest of the protein options have 2-3 net carbs, except for tofu with 4 grams and falafel at a whopping 17 grams of net carbs. So, you can add some chicken or steak pretty safely.
A Final Look at Chopped Leaf
So, what did I have? Well, besides all these options, they also let you design your own. I got a salad with romaine lettuce, avocado, pieces of roasted pecans, chicken, and the summer special item of strawberries. Like I said, I topped it with chipotle ranch dressing. It was truly delicious. I was comfortably full afterwards but still feeling energized. Well, full disclosure, I did have a coffee after dinner, but it was still good. It’s definitely a spot where people from all different dietary needs can eat and enjoy. I’ll be going there again!
Wendy
