I Tried The Viral Jennifer Aniston Salad, and Here's What I Thought...

Okayyyyy, POLARIZING opinion coming up…. I do NOT like the show FRIENDS *audience gasps*.

I feel like it’s one of those shows where you either immediately ~vibe~ with the humor and storyline, orrrrrrr you just don’t. For me, the show just has never tickled my funny bone (insert me starting blankly at the “PIVOT!!!!!” scene here).

….But, while I just cannnn’t get “into” FRIENDS, I absolutely cannot deny having a girl crush on Jennifer Aniston (…don’t we all????).

…and now, as if my girl crush status wasn’t already solidified, I also have a crush on her SALAD???

Let me explain.

the viral Jennifer Aniston salad (and why it rocks)

Recently, a recipe went mega-viral for a salad that Jenn apparently had every. single. day. on the set of FRIENDS. Now, apparently, there are many versions of this salad out there (some more accurate than others), but I just tried the most common one I saw.

…and, let me tell you, it is AMAZING. like, so, so good.

Why specifically do I love it? It is so FRESH and HEARTY. If you know me, I am not at all about wimpy salads (long gone are the days of munching on plain iceberg lettuce and a boring italian dressing & being hungry 1 hour later. no thank you).

Jenn knew what she was doing because this salad on its own is a MEAL! We, here at The Foundation Blog, like salads with BULK! With healthy FAT! With PROTEIN! With FLAVOR! TEXTURE! …and that actually keep you full (even hours later)

….And this salad absolutely checks out!

So, even if this isn’t the *exact* recipe Jenn had every day (I swear I saw 8749287 different variations of it floating around), you NEED to try this exact recipe I share. It is so good. So fresh. SO hearty. So delicious.…and has THEE Jenn-goddess-of-aging-and-beauty stamp of approval. So, I’m listening.

Without further adou, theeee viral Jennifer Aniston salad!

INGREDIENTS:

THE MAIN RECIPE:

• 3-4 cups quinoa, cooked & cooled (this is about 1-1.5 cups uncooked)

• about 1 cup cucumber, chopped (I would just do 1 medium-sized cucumber and call it a day)

• about 1/2 cup red onion, diced (I would do just 1 small red onion and call it a day)

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely

• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped finely

• 1/2 cup-1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

• 1 can chickpeas (juice drained out)

• 1/2-1 cup pistachios, chopped (I personally added more pistachios than less!)

• ^^no need to be EXACT on any of these measurements! Eyeball it & just get “close enough”. It’ll be delicious even if your measurements aren’t “perfect” :)

OPTIONAL/SUBSTITUTIONS:

• 2-3 cups of chicken or protein of choice (this wasn’t on the original recipe, but I added rotisserie chicken and it was DELISH and added for some extra protein & oompf)

• 2-3 cups of spinach, greens, etc. (again, the original recipe doesn’t actually call for this, but I added a few handfuls of spinach just because and it was great!)

• While I haven’t tried it yet, I think some avocado in here could be deeeeelish!

• I also experimented with some goat cheese (instead of the feta) simply because that’s what we had on hand— and it was SO good.

DRESSING:

• The sky is really the limit with dressing— there isn’t a “set” dressing with this recipe, but I personally think some classic olive oil & vinegar, an herb-based dressing, avocado dressing, or a lemon-y dressing would be great here! Get creative and use whatever dressing calls to you!

• That said, if you want a rough framework for a salad that works great with salad— you can use 1/4 cup juice from a lemon, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and salt & pepper as a quick & easy DIY dressing!

HOW TO MAKE:

• Just chop up all ingredients, mix in a big ol bowl (cooled quinoa, herbs, veggies, etc.), and then top with your dressing of choice, crumbled cheese, & chopped pistachios, and you are READY to go!

• Pro tip: if you don’t mix in the spinach & just have the quinoa mix, this saves GREAT in the fridge! We make a big ol’ batch and then eat it over the next few days!

While we may agree-to-disagree on the show FRIENDS, I am verrrrrrry confident that we we will find common ground on the fact that Jennifer A had AMAZING taste in salads.

You have to try this! It’s quickly become a staple in our house— filling. hearty. fresh. beautiful, whole ingredients. EASY. and, let me emphasize, it’ll keep you full. I have been making this at least once a week since I first tried it, and I hope you become equally as obsessed as I am!

and don’t forget to PIVOT!!!! (or something)

xx,
Kate

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