Salad in a Jar

SALADS:


SALAD IN A JAR

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

Directions
Place all ingredients into a small jar (canning jar). Anything with a lid works well.
Shake to mix thoroughly. Stores in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

*Or use my blending method: throw everything in the blender, blend for about 30 seconds, then store in a jar for 1-2 weeks.

Salad
Makes 2 salads (Salads pictured were made in 32 oz mason jars)

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 big handfuls spinach
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
4 tbsp balsamic vinagrette

Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:
dressing
onion
mushrooms
tomatoes
quinoa
spinach

The most important part of the layering is making sure the dressing and the spinach (or whatever ‘leaf’ you choose) 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. This is one of my tricks to eating salad everyday for lunch at work. I make a few jars on Sunday night and just grab one to bring to work everyday. When you’re ready to eat, just shake it up.

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing

2 heads of garlic, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp honey

Cut the pointy top off of the garlic. Brush them with olive oil and roast them in a pan in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, until it is starting to turn golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven, allow to cool. Once the garlic is cool, peel the skin off. Discard the skins, save the garlic.
*Skin peels off really easily after they are roasted.

Add all the ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*If some of the skin get processed with the rest of the dressing, no big deal, it won’t change the flavor.

The salad dressing can be vegan if you sub the honey for agave. And it is dairy free, with no substitutions!

Heirloom Tomato Salad

A simple summer tomato salad made with heirloom tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, extra virgin olive oil and garden fresh basil. If you can't find heirloom tomatoes, you can use garden tomatoes instead. This is my husband's recipe and it's my favorite ways to eat tomatoes. Serve this as a side dish or for lunch with a nice crusty bread.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 kalamata olives
• fresh basil, sliced
• kosher salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

In a bowl combine onions, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let it marinate about 5-10 minutes. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Pour olive oil and onions on top and season with additional salt and pepper. Top with fresh basil. Divide equally in 4 plates.