Mason Jar Recipes

194 calories, 2.9 grams sugar, 2.8 grams fat, 39.3 grams carbohydrates, 6.3 grams proteinWheat berries are nutrient powerhouses loaded with protein, fiber, iron, and more, making this salad-in-a-jar recipe a particularly nourishing meal! Mixing the dense and chewy grains with apples and dried cranberries offers a winning sweet and savory combination. A light lemon and vinegar dressing helps keep the calorie count down too!
Ingredients:
3 c. cooked wheat berries
1/2 organic Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1 scallion, minced
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
Directions:
Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Whisk the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil until well combined. Toss with salad.
Makes 4 servings


 

Salad in a Jar
Adapted by Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body
Salad:
Makes 2 salads in 32 oz jars
1 cup cubed chicken
2 big handfuls mixed greens
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
4 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Recipe from Creative Kitchen Adventures
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp water (more or less depending on the consistency you want)
2 tbsp honey (can be replaced with agave or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Place all ingredients into a small lidded jar.  Or blend all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds.  Anything with a lid works well. Shake to mix thoroughly. Stores in fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:
Balsamic Vinaigrette
onion
peppers
mushrooms
tomatoes
chicken
salad greens
The most important part of the layering is making sure the dressing and the salad greens(don’t touch. As long as they stay separate, these salads can be made up to 4 days in advance and will stay fresh in the fridge with a lid on. Easy to double this recipe and make lunch for all week.
 Layering Salad Jars:

1) BOTTOM - dressing/liquid
2) Heavy ingredients that hold up well when submerged in dressing - beans, cucumbers, radishes, onion..
3) Heavy items that you may not want directly touching the dressing when stored.
4) Leafy greens/light ingredients that take up a lot of space - spinach, kale, chard, arugula..
5) A small amount of heavy accent items - nuts, seeds, dried fruit, croutons, accent spices
6) TOP - colorful ingredients to perk up your taste buds when you pop open the jar - fruit, edible flowers, herbs..

Other: grains and pasta are nice add ins. I like to put these on top of the plentiful salad so that it doesn't get soggy in the dressing but helps to weigh the greens down a bit so I can fit more yummy stuff in each jar.

There are no exact "rules" and that is the fun part. Let creativity take over.



More recipes...

* I made some spicy Cajun quinoa (quinoa + dried Cajun spice blend) for these jars and used fresh farmer's market produce and nuts.

* I used balsamic + EVOO + peppercorn spice blend for the dressing in all of my jars. You can try oil/lemon, creamy dressings, tahini/lemon/oil, citrus and more as your liquid infusion.

#1 Green Garden
EVOO/Balsamic/Peppercorn spices dressing
diced persian cucumbers
diced tomato
arugula + baby spinach
raw pistachios
edible flowers
diced dried apricots

#2 Butter Bean Bliss
EVOO/Balsamic/Peppercorn spices dressing
sweet Maui onion, diced
butter beans
arugula + baby chard
raw walnuts
Cajun Spiced Quinoa
diced dried apricots

#3 Sunny Kale Kruncher
EVOO/Balsamic/Peppercorn spices dressing
radish, diced
sweet Maui onion, diced
walnuts
kale + shredded carrots + cabbage, chopped
seedless tangerine segments

#4 Quinoa Oasis
EVOO/Balsamic/Peppercorn spices dressing
red onion
Cajun Spiced Quinoa
kale + carrots
walnuts
edible flowers

What would you put in your salad jar???