Allow me to make a short disclaimer for this recipe: I definitely did not create the idea out of thin air. I have seen it on quite a few food blogs and it seems to be all over Pinterest, so I decided to come up with a salad combination of my own. I loved the idea and wanted to share it with all of you.
There are certain rules to follow when assembling these awesome salads-in-a-jar. The most important rule is to put the dressing on the bottom of the jar. The greens go at the top. Keep the two far away from each other so that the jar does not become a soggy mess. The greens stay crispy and fresh right up until you eat the salad.
The next layer is ideally anything that could soak up the flavors of the dressing. This could be meat, such as shredded chicken, or mushrooms, or chopped vegetables. That’s right, meat works in the jar as well – in fact it makes a heartier salad. In this recipe, the second layer after the dressing is a combination of different veggies. Cucumber, bell pepper, and carrots all fit nicely into the jar.
After the vegetables, add any seeds, nuts, or fruits that you would like to go in the salad. For example, if you decide to include almonds, strawberries, or even dried figs, this would be the time to include them. For this recipe I chose sunflower seeds. Last but not least, add the greens. You can use anything – romaine, spinach or a mix. You can really pack the greens into the jar, which also helps prevent things from moving around. The ratios in the jar should be close to half greens, half everything else.
A quart-sized jar would make a full entrée-sized salad, so I usually use pint-size mason jars. Make sure to screw the lid on tightly, and then you can store your ready-made salad in the refrigerator. Depending on the ingredients you chose, the salad can last up to about 5 days. To eat the salad, simply dump it out in a bowl and stir to coat everything with the dressing. For this recipe I made a simple but go-to favorite dressing of mine, with balsamic and honey mustard. Use a dressing that you love, because it flavors everything in the jar. Let us know your favorite combinations!
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- Sunflower seeds, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, to taste
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- For the dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Paleo mustard
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.
- To make the salad, first pour 2 tablespoons of the dressing into the bottom of a pint-sized mason jar. Next add the bell pepper, cucumber, and carrot, followed by the sunflower seeds and parsley. Pack the rest of the jar with the chopped romaine. Screw on the lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The only dressing I currently use is your Paleo Ranch. I’m still enjoying it so much , I can’t imagine my salads without it. Now you have given me even more reasons to eat salad. Going to go buy me some big Mason jars.