Salad in a Jar

Yes, you read that title correctly. Some of you may have seen me talking about this already, but in case you haven't seen it or tried it - I'm here to show you.

I love a good salad. (I'm known to go to Olive Garden and just eat salad.) But, it's hard to conveniently take a salad to work... unless you put it in a jar.

Buy a mason jar, and all your salad ingredients.

Put your dressing on the bottom (it's kind of a guessing game as to how much...), and then all your toppings in after that.

I've been doing quinoa, dried cranberries, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese. For my meat, I either use canned chicken or torn up deli meat (you better believe it's turkey, no way is it ham!)

The MOST important part of this trick is that your dressing is on the very top, and your lettuce/spinach is at the very top, with your toppings in the middle. I would say my jar is about half toppings, half lettuce. Make sure to leave some room at the top, because if it's too full, it doesn't shake up very well.

Take your jar to work (luckily I have a huge supply of plastic forks I can use up!), and when you're ready to eat, just shake it up! It usually takes a few minutes to shake up - I shake it every which way possible to mix it good enough.

Presto! I usually get some weird looks if people walk into my little office and I'm eating out of a mason jar, but they realize how good of an idea it is once I explain. :) I usually eat some crackers of some sort to go along with my salad. Either saltines + turkey pepperoni, or Cheez-its. (Fun fact: Cheez-its and Teddy Grahams are healthier than Club Crackers; no high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oil!)

(No rating for this post - healthiness and cost differ on what you use!)

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is not something I cook with regularly, and hadn't really heard of it before trying this recipe – but it's super healthy and yummy. I found this recipe, and thought I'd give it a try... turned out so good!

 

1 cup quinoa* (I used the Garden Vegetable flavor)
1 can of vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed (10 ounces)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced bell pepper (red or green)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, preferably toasted**


1. Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it becomes aromatic and begins to crackle, about 5 minutes. (The instructions said to rinse, but since my quinoa was flavored, it created a broth when I added water to it... so I lost some of the taste from it.)

2. Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook gently for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and, without disturbing the quinoa, add edamame. Cover and continue to cook until the edamame and quinoa are tender, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Drain any remaining water, if necessary.

3. Whisk lemon juice, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Then combine with peppers, walnuts and the quinoa mixture.


*Note: Quinoa is a delicately flavored grain that was a staple in the ancient Incas' diet. It is available in most natural-foods stores and the natural-foods sections of many supermarkets. Toasting the grain before cooking enhances its flavor and rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective covering.

**To toast walnuts: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. (Don't let them burn like I did!)

Rating: The quinoa was the most expensive part, but I'm going to look around to see if there's a cheaper place to buy it, and in a bigger portion. Otherwise, a very affordable and healthy meal.

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad

This recipe (adapted from this website) makes a HUGE amount, so it's great for parties and whatnot... but if it's just one or two people in the house, I would recommend cutting the recipe in half. I would consider this more of a side dish or a snack, rather than a meal by itself (like stir-fry).


We ate it with grilled chicken, and then tried it with some corn chips. It makes a pretty good dip, but it's chunky - so don't expect it to be liquidy like salsa.

1 can of corn, sauteed
2 avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 cups of red tomatoes
1 small red onion, finely diced
¾ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
1 ½ cup of cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice

Add to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

6 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 tsp. Garlic powder
2 Tbsp. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
10 Grinds of fresh ground pepper

Add all of the above ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as you desire. When ready to serve salad, add the dressing and gently toss.


Rating: This cost just over $10, and is a really healthy snack!