Mason Jar Salad

Salads are endlessly versatile, and they also allow one to make an attempt at healthy eating.  Even though it's still terribly cold in NYC, with winter not seeming to let up her icy grip, dreams of warmer, sunny days to come inspired me to prepare a summer salad.  I recently came across the concept of mason jar salads as the ideal "boxed lunch."  These salads, which are all the rage, are created in a mason jar, with the ingredients layered one on top of the other.  The dressing goes in first, at the bottom, and ingredients that could wilt in the dressing, like salad greens, go at the very top.  I love a good homemade lunch, lauded by the brilliant Mark Bittman, and these lunches have the added advantage of being very pretty.  So, of course I was game. 

Ingredients for a mason jar salad are easily customized.  In mine I added, in order:

• 1 to 4 tablespoons of Blush wine vinaigrette (from BRIANNAS)
• Red peppers, chopped
• Grape tomatoes, quartered (optional)
• Sauteed chicken breast, shredded
• Cucumbers, chopped
• Spring mix lettuce, torn in bite sizes
• Raspberries
• Pine nuts, lightly toasted
• Croutons

Adjust the amount and type of ingredients to the size of the salad you are making and your personal preferences.  For more ideas on what you might include in your salad, click here and here.  And for more examples of mason jar meals/snacks, click here and here and here.
 
Directions:

1. Add the dressing to the bottom of the jar.
2. Add the salad ingredients that you like, layering each one at a time, with the more heartier ingredients added first, since they will hold up better than delicate ingredients (e.g., lettuce, fruit) when immersed in the dressing.  It's a good idea to leave a little space at the top of the jar to let the ingredients move around a bit if you plan to mix the salad in the jar before serving.
3. Place croutons in a plastic container and set aside, since they will get soggy if added and stored with the other ingredients.
4. Place the lid on the jar and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
5. Just before serving, add the croutons, place the lid back on the jar, and then shake the jar gently to mix the ingredients and distribute the dressing.  Enjoy!

The idea is that these salads can be prepared in advance and grabbed, on the go, for a quick lunch.  All one needs to do is (gently) shake the jar to mix everything up and voilà, salad in a jar.  Just don't forget to bring your salad with you on your way out the door, along with your fork, and those delicious croutons.

An important point to consider is the issue of the vinaigrette.  I've read that depending on how long you keep the salad, some ingredients might end up getting slightly pickled in the dressing.  If this does not sound appealing, you'll be happy to know that someone has created a little disposable plastic cup that can be purchased and placed at the top of the mason jar, which could be used to keep the dressing and salad separate (but this requires real mason jars, not the old pasta sauce jars I'm using).  I suppose you could also use another, smaller jar just for the dressing.  This time around, I decided to prepare two salads, varying the order of the ingredients in each, as a sort of test to see which items do better nearer to/farther from the vinaigrette.

I'm a little concerned that some of the ingredients were still a bit damp from washing when I added them into the jar, which could increase their chance of spoiling.  I will likely make more of an attempt to let them dry the next time around.  Still, this is a fun and tasty experiment (like so much of what happens in the kitchen and in life).  Fingers crossed that it all goes well!  Worst case scenario, I treat myself to a little takeout for lunch tomorrow.

UPDATE: Things did go well with my mason jar salad.  The salad was delicious.  The ingredients stayed fresh, and weren't the slightest bit pickled.  The only challenge was not getting bits of salad all over my desk since there is no wide bowl to catch what might fall off the fork.  So I just spread out a napkin, and was good to go!  Still, I decided that packing a salad in tupperware would be easier, as long as the dressing is stored separately.  But the jars are a bit more fun (and pretty).   

Good old-fashioned salad in a bowl