I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who get a little lazy with cooking during the summer months. Regardless of whether you have central air or all the ceiling fans in the world, there’s just something about June, July, and August that makes you want to do the easiest thing possible — especially when it comes to food.
Errol and I stumbled across this post all about “make-ahead salads” a few weeks ago, and it seems like the best of several worlds. First, you get to actually USE all of those farmer’s market veggies and fruits that you seem to bring home every week. Second, you get to make these beautiful works of food art — and then you get to eat them. And finally, what’s not to like about using a Mason jar for absolutely anything and everything? Needless to say, we are sold. These salads are great for anything — an office lunch, a picnic in the park, you name it.
According to Aimee, author of the Simple Bites blog we liked so much, there are a few things to note when you’re attempting these salads:
- First, you need to start with a clean, wide-mouth jar that is completely dry. Aimee reports that “moisture is not the friend of a crisp salad.”
- Instead of cutting lettuce, tear it. Cut lettuce will show browning edges in no time.
- Always start with the salad dressing on the bottom, and don’t let the greens come in contact with it. They will inevitably wilt.
- Put a folded paper towel at the top of the salad just before you put the lid on. Aimee says this helps absorb some of the extra moisture and helps to keep the greens more crisp.
- Last but certainly not least, there are certain things to avoid when it comes to the salad-in-a-jar ingredients. Specifically, Aimee avoids those that “emit a particular odor that gets stronger with time, such as eggs, blue cheese, tinned fish, and raw onion.” She also says that things like strawberries and diced tomatoes tend to “weep” after a few days and can get a bit soft in the bottom of a jar. By no means does this mean you can’t have a salad without these things — it’s just a good idea to put those in a separate container and bring those with you, too.
The two salad ideas that Aimee writes about in this post look absolutely amazing — a Spring Pea and Romaine with Feta, Cucumber, and Radish, Creamy Buttermilk Dressing as well as a Arugula, Blueberry and Bacon Salad with Almonds, Balsamic Vinaigrette, but we’ve discovered a few more through our research:
Kale, Cherry, Pistachio and Brussels Salad: We love this salad because it’s a great way to enjoy two very dense (but very good for you) vegetables: kale and brussels sprouts. The simple EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), balsamic, and dijon dressing softens the veggies a bit — and we’re guessing you could even shake/stir this one up and leave it in the fridge for an hour so that it has a chance to really marinate! This recipe is from a great blog called Nutritional Style.
Mexican Chickpea Salad with Chile-Lime Dressing: This recipe is one of many that is included in a recent post of a blog called Back to Her Roots. All of the recipes look delicious, but we picked this one for the chickpeas, which we love, as well as the inclusion of the brown rice to give the salad additional substance. Cassie, the blogger, suggests subbing in black beans or kidney beans instead of the chickpeas if you want to switch it up a bit.
If you go ahead and attempt any of these salad recipes (or, if you have one of your own!), we’d love to hear about it in our blog comments!
Two Peas in a Pod: Growing Well Together 