Salads in a jar are easy to prepare, extremely healthy, and help establish a habit of nutritious eating. It is packed with a variety of vegetables and uses berries, fruits and nuts as accents for extraordinary favor. My wife asked, “Is this better than any gourmet restaurant salad?” You be the judge but I definitely think so.
The Dressing (for 4-6 jars):
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 shallot
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 Teaspoon of fennel seeds
Let mixture sit for 20-30 minutes and filter out the seeds. Then add the following and stir:
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon of tahini
- Olive oil to taste (about 1/2 cup)
- Pinch of salt to taste
Raw Ingredients:
- Quarter slices of raw zucchini
- Sliced yellow and orange peppers
- Chopped carrots
- Grape tomatoes sliced
- Roasted cauliflower (in olive oil and lightly salted)
- Candied pecans from Savannah Georgia
- Apple slices
- Aurora Natural apple juice infused cherries
- Teaspoon or two of goat cheese
- 50/50 baby spinach and spring mix (prewashed)
Interchange ingredients to your liking. Examples include, almonds, dried cranberries, pistachios, roasted chicken, roasted salmon, peanuts, avocado, red peppers, roasted asparagus, celery, raisins, blueberries, raw turnips, etc. An alternative dressing is equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and Lucini Italia Savory Fig Balsamico Artisan Vinegar or your favorite.
To make salad jars (we use 32 oz mason jars), first add the dressing to the bottom. Then add harder vegetables (like carrots) followed by softer vegetables and salad on the top. Add goat cheese, avocado, nuts, and dried or raw fruit when you plate the salad or morning of if taking it on the go. We like to pack 4 – 6 jars at a time to make it easy during the week when things get hectic. When you are ready to eat, just empty the contents out in bowl and you have a fantastic meal.
