My obsession with mason jars is well-known and obvious from looking at many of my recipes. They are a kitchen must-have for me. I used to have a container drawer. What a nightmare it was every morning, scrambling to find the right lids to fit containers while making lunches (and throwing out a few cuss words in the process). I bought many different organizer and storage container kits, each time thinking “That’s it. This will fix it!” But the inevitable mismatched lid and container saga would always resurface.
I now have a shelf for mason jars with their lids (two sizes of lids fit a variety of jars), which has made life so much easier. On top of that, they are glass, so you can take the lid off and warm up your food or buy lids that have built-in straws for smoothies and juices. What more can a girl ask for?! Ok, mason jar love story over. On to the recipe.
Knowing my fondness for mason jars, a good friend gave me some pretty ones, along with a recipe book for mason jar salads: it was a lunch-changing moment! It’s so easy to put salad dressing in the bottom of the jar, top with an assortment of veggies, proteins, grains and superfoods, screw the lids on and pop them into the fridge for the week. All you have to do is turn it upside down, give it a little shimmy-shake and then remove the lid and enjoy. My kids love helping to prepare these. They each get one or two ingredients that they are in charge of, so it’s an efficient salad prepping line making lunch preparation a breeze. One of our favorites is a play on southwestern style flavors with a chili lime dressing.
Mexican Quinoa Mason Jar Salads
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 limes juice of 2 large limes
- 6 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 dash your favourite hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chilli pepper
- pinch salt & pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 14 ounce can of blackens, washed and drained
- 1 14 ounce can of corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 english cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro or greens of choice, chopped
Instructions
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together or place them in a jar and shake well
- Pour equal amounts of the dressing into the bottom of your jars.
- Wash, drain and chop all your ingredients so you are ready to assemble.
- Follow a 2-3 tablespoon rule of thumb while building your salad jar. Start with 2-3 tablespoon of beans, followed by corn, then quinoa, bell pepper, cucumber and, lastly, tomatoes.
- Top with a sprinkle of cilantro or choice of greens, secure the lids, and place into the fridge.
