Many of us are looking for easy-to-prepare recipes for during the week, and let’s not forget about lunch. I think creating bulk meals is always smart, so I came up with four different Mason Jar Salads with one base recipe, that you could prep all-at-once. The ingredients in these salads are fresh, but fairly simple with a few new additions to add a little pizzazz to your lunches.
I remember my office days, most of the time I would just skip lunch because the options were not that great. For those of us still schlepping to an office, work out of our home, or are stay-at-home moms, we all want something to look forward to come noontime, and these jar salads are a delicious solution.
To start, you buy all the ingredients (many of which you may already have in your pantry or refrigerator) and prep them in one shot, then whip up a simple vinaigrette to heighten flavor – same dressing for all four salads. This tangy vinaigrette will add another level of scrumptious taste, so you won’t feel as if you are eating another boring lunch salad. You can keep the salads in the refrigerator for up to one week, just as long as you save the vinaigrette separately. Happy lunching.
Ingredients
3 cups green or red leaf lettuce, chopped
3 cups mixed greens
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded (rotisserie breast from the grocery store works nicely)
3 1/2 ounces canned chunk light tuna in oil, drained
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/3 of a cucumber, diced
8 green pitted olives, sliced in half
1 ounce feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, julienned
2 ounces soba noodles, cooked & drained
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 slices salami, cut in strips
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 egg, hard boiled and sliced
Vinaigrette
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
(Makes 4 Mason Jar Lunch Salads)
To Prepare:
1. Wash and dry four Mason Jars. Shred chicken breasts and drain tuna.
2. Chop lettuce and remove mixed greens from any packaging. Put the green or red leaf lettuce in 2 jars and mixed greens in 2 jars.
3. Let’s build the Greek Salad first. In one jar with the green leaf, add half the cherry tomatoes and half the cucumbers. Top with olives and cucumbers, followed by the feta cheese. Seal the jar, one down.
4. Let’s build the Asian Salad. In a jar with mixed greens, add cucumbers and julienned ginger. In a small bowl, toss noodles with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, then add them on top of the ginger. Next, add 1/2 of the chicken and seal the jar, two down.
5. Let’s build the Italian Salad. On top of other green leaf lettuce jar, add other half of the cherry tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Slice salami and add on top of beans, followed by the other half of chicken. Top with parmesan cheese and seal the jar, three down.
6. Let’s build the final salad – the French Tuna Salad. On top of mixed greens, add flaked tuna and capers. Chop celery and slice egg, add on top. Seal the jar, four down.
7. To make vinaigrette – In a small bowl, add shallot, Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and both types of vinegar, whisk until combined. While continuing to whisk, drizzle in olive oil. Place vinaigrette into 4 separate containers to go with the Mason Jar Lunch Salads. Enjoy!
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