Salad in a Jar

INTRODUCTION

In a world where many of us find ourselves eating meals on the go or at our desks, there seem to be two dismal scenarios. A packed salad that ends up soggy, brown, and limp leafed (or worse, spilled all over your bag). Or an overpriced, mediocre purchased salad that leaves you thinking that you could have done it better (and cheaper) yourself.

Enter the humble jar 

Who would have thought that storing salads in a jar could make lunch on the go so much fresher, easier, and cheaper? Tossing a jar of salad in your bag will no longer be like playing a game of lunchtime roulette. Jars keep salad ingredients fresher for longer and make salads more portable, more convenient, and leak-proof. And they are built-in portion control. 

Far from the prawn cocktail of my youth, these salads range from the slight to the substantial. The big-jar recipes are packed with whole grains, proteins, and hearty vegetables to keep you out of the snack drawer until dinner. The small-jar recipes are full of flavor with a sprinkling of lighter grains perfect for less-hungry days or as side dishes. 

All of the salad recipes are nutritionally sound, incorporating lots of fresh vegetables, heart-healthy fats, and whole grains so that eating salad feels like a meal rather than a starter course.

What are you waiting for? Happy salad jarring!

Equipment 

Very little equipment is needed to assemble salad in jars, but here are a few useful items that will speed up your prep time and make your salad-in-jars experience the best it can be. 

Wide-mouthed jars These will make assembling and eating much easier.
Salad spinner Use to get salad greens clean and dry.
Y peeler Use for shaving long ribbons of vegetables. 
Mandoline or handheld slicer Use for extra-thin slicing or julienning.
Long-handled rubber spatula Use for getting every last drop of dressing.

Prep times

Some of the recipes call for

CONTENTS

Introduction 7
Design Your Own Salad in a Jar 8
Grains and Cooking Plans 10
What Fruits and Vegetables to Buy 11

Salad Dressings 12
Balsamic Vinaigrette 14
Lemon Vinaigrette 16
Tahini Zinger 18
French Vinaigrette 20
Thai Pick-Me-Up 22
Caesar Dressing 24
Green Goddess 26
Red Wine Vinaigrette 28
Apple Cider Vinaigrette 30
Creamy Dressing 32
Almond Miso Dressing 34

Raw 36
Kale, Avocado, Pomegranate, and Tahini 38
Veggie Draw 40
Radish, Carrot, and Baby Kale 42
Crunchy Cabbage 44
Topsy-Turvy 46
Southeast Asian 48
Squash and Lemon 50

Small Jars 52
Super Green Salad 54
Figs and Blue Cheese 56
Sprouts, Parmesan, and Pecans 58
Greens, Feta, Blueberries, and Walnuts 60
Celery and Parmesan 62
Lemon Summer Squash Noodles 64
Arugula, Fennel, and Parmesan 66
Celery Root and Beet Remoulade 68
Broccoli Rabe, Kale, and Kamut 70
Black Bean and Corn 72
Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta 74
Lima Bean, Pomegranate, and Pesto 76
Grilled Pepper, Beans, and Goat Cheese 78
Strawberry, Poppy Seed, and Halloumi 80
Smoked Salmon, Capers, and Watercress 82
Grapefruit, Pistachio, and Watercress 84
Very Asparagus 86
Tabbouleh 88
Tomato, Mozzarella, and Arugula 90
Wheat Berry, Apple, and Date 92
Tuna, Fennel, and White Bean 94

Big Jars 96
Chicken and Kale Caesar 98 
Niçoise and Buckwheat 100
Smoked Salmon, Quinoa, and Tzatziki 102
Fattoush 104
Cobb Salad 106
Asian Chicken 108
Curried Chicken 110
Lentils with Eggplant and Raisins 112
Falafel Salad 114
Wild Rice and Nectarine 116
Farro with Grapes and Lima Beans 118
Peach, Quinoa, and Dandelion 120
Salmon and Spelt 122
Summer Grill 124
Pinto Bean, Broccoli, and Escarole 126
Kale, Sweet Potato, and Barley 128
Waldorf 130
Pea, Fava Bean, and Kamut 132
Sweet-and-Sour Butternut Squash 134
Roasted Cauliflower 136
Greek Salad 138
Sweet and Creamy Quinoa 140
Shiitake,

Anna Helm Baxter