The Mason Jar Salad

Everyone has at least one mason jar in there home. Be it left over from a jar of homemade jam you got from Grandma on Christmas, or maybe you’re into canning yourself. Either way this is a great way to put it to use.

A while back my husband came across an article online that had the brilliant idea of making a salad in a jar and brought it to my attention. I have done a bit of tweaking to to and this is how I make ours. It is quite simple, really. All you need are a few basic ingredients and a jar and you have yourself a healthy, portable, quick lunch in a reusable glass container to boot.

The mason jar is really a multipurpose piece of glassware. You can use it as intended, for canning, and then when you are done with whatever you had in it, it can become a storage container for nuts and other refrigerated items, a container to hold your lunch salad, a glass so thick you can drink coffee out of it, a portable ice tea container, you can use it as a planter for some herbs, a drinking glass for the little kids who tend to drop things a lot (its hard to break, trust me) and I’m sure there’s some other ideas out there as well. My husband loves these for work and they are so much cheaper and healthier than driving through some fast food restaurant for a quick bite. If you don’t have a few of the large quart jars lying around, I suggest you buy a 12 pack at the grocery store. They cost a little over $12 but can be reused an infinite amount of times. We usually make 2 or 3 at a time. They stay good for about 4 days in the fridge.

What you will need:
-Quart canning jar with lid
-Dressing of choice
-Radishes or Cherry or Grape tomatoes (enough to cover the bottom of the jar)
-Thinly sliced cabbage or zucchini, cut into 3 inch long by 1 inch wide pieces
-Mixed greens of your choice (fill till jar is about ¾ full)
-Top with your choice of nut and seeds of choice ( Chopped walnuts are yummy. For the seeds we alternate between raw pumpkin seeds, sesame seed, and throw in flax seeds too sometimes)
-If you eat cheese throw some on top (we like feta)
-For added protein throw some kidney beans on top

Directions:
1.Add dressing to jar ( I fill till about ½ inch sits on the bottom)
2.Layer bottom of Jar with enough radishes or cherry tomatoes to cover the bottom. This keeps any of the lettuce from getting into the dressing and getting “weird” before your ready to eat it.
3.Add a thin layer of cabbage or zucchini sticks, just enough to make sure there’s enough space to make sure the lettuce can’t slip into the dressing.
4. Add greens until the jar is about ¾ of the way full
5. Add Nuts, seeds, cheeses, and beans if you use them to the top and place the lid on the jar.
6. Shake till mixed and enjoy!

Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can get creative with this. Add whatever ingredients you like. The only critical part is making sure you put radishes or cherry or grape tomatoes on the bottom to keep the lettuce from touching it. If you add radishes they will start to pickle in the fridge, they taste wonderful if you like picked things. If you don’t, stick with the cherry tomatoes.

To Make Vegan: Leave out cheese and use a homemade vinaigrette.

Do you have any other ideas on ways to use a mason jar? Feel free to share :)