Salad in a jar. Cobb. Caesar. I'm loving it. In my last post which introduced you to the idea - (thanks again to The Daily Muse for inspiring me!) - I described how I was a tad skeptical as to how these salads would hold up throughout the week - in terms of freshness, color and flavor. This past week I documented the salad-in-a-jar results. So ahead I'll show you how each salad delivered once I served it and a few things I discovered.
More Salads in a Jar! My imagination is running wild with ideas, but here are two of them.. Get my salad-in-a-jar recipes and results ahead!!..
I'm at it again..
Vegan Cobb Salad - kind of like the one I did here - but this time in a jar. My vegan Cobb in a jar is speckled with diced citrus, tempeh bacon bits, diced carrots, diced tomato and even some diced avocado tossed in lemon juice to preserve that bright green color.
Vegan Caesar. And then I also did a vegan-crouton infused, lemon-doused, vegan Parmesan-sprinkled Caesar Salad. My husband's fave.
Vegan Caesar In-a-Jar:
Vegan Cobb In-a-Jar:
New Salads!! Cobb and Caesar.
Cobb = Diced Carrots + Diced Onion + Diced Tomato + Diced Naval Orange + Diced Avocado + Lemon Circles (for avocado freshness) + Diced Lemon/White Miso-Marinated Tofu + Diced Tempeh Bacon
*dressing: apple cider vinegar + walnut oil + spices
Caesar = Yellow Heirloom Tomatoes + Romaine Lettuce + Vegan Parmesan + Vegan Croutons (optional: tofu or vegan chick'n cubes + diced onion)
*dressing: I used lemon juice and EVOO + spices at the bottom. You could also use a creamy vegan Caesar dressing.
The Salad-in-a-Jar Taste Test Results. Four days later and my salad still rocked. I think the photos say a lot so check those out first ('results' recipes shown in this post)..
Green Garden:
Quinoa Oasis + Vegenaise Toast:
Sunny Kale + vegan poppyseed dressing:
Butter Bean:
Now let me chat freshness and flavor. Flavor: Amazing! The veggies that were marinating in the bottom layer dressing totally intensified in flavor and pickled a bit. I had mostly onions, radishes, cucumbers, butter beans and tomatoes on that bottom "wet" layer and they all worked out perfectly. I think other good "wet" layer ingredients would be tofu cubes, citrus, cabbage and anything that does well sitting in an acidic liquid. Things like croutons, soft lettuces and greens, some nuts, tempeh or anything that doesn't do well "soggy" would not be a good "wet" layer ingredient.
As for the middle and top ingredients - again - flavor stayed lovely and fresh. The greens did dry out a bit but that was quickly remedied when I shook the jar and dispersed the dressing (oil/vinegar/spices.) And the last thing I found is that I really preferred to pour the "shaken" salad out into a bowl. You could easily eat it out of the jar (with a long fork!) but since I was at home and had access to a bowl I liked to pour. Obviously if these salads are for a picnic, at work or school you could eat straight from the jar and look pretty cute doing it.
So yes, they were successful!..
More Salad-licious Cobb/Caesar Photos..
How are YOUR salads-in-a-jar coming along??
Christopher Curzon says
I also am not a doctor, but I note that fats, in contrast to carbohydrates, are nutritionally necessary in the diet. At least some portion of oils that have the omega-3, or the omega-6 double bond are necessary to the body for constructing certain essential compounds. (In a similar way, there also exist certain essential amino acids -- essential because the body cannot synthesis them on its own -- that must be provided for in the diet.) So, if you are making the claim that "oil of any sort .... cause[s] destruction the vascular epithelial cells" I would ask you to cite sources that support this. It goes against what I have believed is the ancient wisdom about diet that is being confirmed by modern investigation.
Tanysha Harry says
going to do this but leave the dressing out in a separate smaller jar, makes sense to me to keep it fresher as I have a fridge at work 🙂
MrsJonesVA says
Is EVOO not good for you? The media seems to tout this as a heart healthy oil that we should try to get a couple of tablespoons of each day.
adrenaline_jen says
I am not a doctor, but I beg to differ and wonder what studies you site to back your claim. The studies I have read indicate that fat and oil are a necessary part of our diet, just not the highly processed vegetable or other oils. Read "Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill" and/or read Gary Taubes (author of "Why We Get Fat" and "Good Calories, Bad Calories") for more on this. Cheers!
Sorry to get off topic on the post. I LOVE these beautiful salads too!
Scott Raphael says
As a Doctor of Naturopathy, I applaud your focus on a vegan lifestyle, this is Fantastic. But I do have a concern about your use of EVOO. Study upon study clearly indicate that oil of any sort, does in fact, cause destruction the vascular epithelial cells which does pose a serious health risk. in addition, any and all oil is 100% pure fat.
maryann m says
no. you are not canning these for months...i use a hand vacuum sealer and jar attachment and its good to go for about a week.
Nancy Elizabeth Smith says
Do the jars have to be full? or can they have space at the top?
mkc says
I leae a little head room and it makes it super easy to eat of especially if you use a wide mouth jar!
Jennifer Struyck Miner says
looks great, works wonderfully 🙂
Alicia says
I'm so ready to try this! Looks, easy, delish, healthy and affordable! 🙂
Brittany Mullins says
I made 3 salads in a jar tonight for the week. I'm excited to see how they taste! Thanks for inspiration!
rureadymatt24.39 says
Mine didn't do well past three to four days. I am going to try the handi vac to see if that helps to keep it fresher. Anyone familiar with these vacs? I read one author used the Reynolds 00590 Handi-Vac Vacuum-Sealing Starter Kit.
Health says
It is a nice idea and i like it. Raw food is best for health. It is a fantastic recipe. I will try it today. All ingredients are healthy so it is a healthy food idea.
Rachel says
This is beautiful and I can't wait to try them out myself! Glad to hear they stayed fresh for a while too!
guest says
so do you have to sterilize the jar and seal as you would for canning?
Heather Poire says
You have inspired me - I love this idea but was never sure how they would "hold up" for the week - thank you for sharing your findings, so awesome!
Tii says
I'm *very* inspired by this, my only concern is that i really don't like ice cold salads. do you think it would go bad if the jar was out of the fridge and hour or two before consuming?
The Daily Muse says
So glad you like our mason jar salad idea - yours look ahhhmazing!
Kathleen Richardson says
Even if was taking one of the salads to work or a meeting or something, I'd take a bowl, too. Just seems to me it would be more fun to pour it into the bowl and mix it up. All the photographs are excellent and making me hungry for a salad.
Keep writing...
Mira says
forgot to include lettuce after the cabbage--and it didn't even wilt.
Mira says
I used pint jars and they worked well. I liked the salad better than made fresh because it was ice cold and marinated the flavors. I was actually surprised at how delicious and fresh it was the next day. Ingredients (bottom to top): balsamic vinegar, broccoli, green onions, tomato, napa cabbage, fava beans, fresh thyme, tofu.
faith says
this is a great way to get away from storing food in plastic! and it flashes me back to my days of office temping when I would bring a salad in a big jar (to avoid plastic)- one of the side effects was that my co-workers could see and admire my healthy salads!
Elle says
Thanks for sharing the results Kathy; after your initial post, I was quite curious to know whether the salads remained fresh. I'd also love to know how your lemon-tossed avocado holds up, so please keep us updated!
Just in case you don't already know this, I thought I'd share instructions on removing that annoying sticker residue on your jar lids. If you smother the residue with margarine or EVOO, then allow to sit for a few hours, you should be able to wipe it off with a damp cloth and plenty of soapy water.
Mastersnichole says
Or rubbing alcohol or if you don't have that you can use swig of vodka : )
CM says
Peanut butter works, too!
RenoDi says
I have been married for 47 years and I didn't know about the EVOO on the sticker residue. I have a jar smothering now. Thanks for sharing!
Kristina says
I love this idea!! I just found your blog and I'm so excited to follow! I would scarf down any one of those salads, they all look amazing, can't wait to try this out myself!
Goldie says
Hey Kathy! These look gorgeous & delicious. so colorful! (per usual 🙂 )
I was just wondering, would you be willing to share how to make the miso-lemon marinated tofu? It
Aud4ears says
Mouth watering goodness. Thanks for these great ideas. These I can fix ahead and grab for work. Be Blessed.
Kathy Patalsky says
So I finally ate one OUT OF THE JAR today. Can report that is was easier than expected and WAY more fun than pouring into bowl. Both ways work 🙂
Amy says
Good to know since I'm planning to do this for the school year! Dealing with extra dishes and steps isn't good when there's only 25-30 minutes for lunch!
Hannah Mansfield says
So inspired, and so beautiful! Almost impossible to choose which salad to try first!
Tara says
Those all look great!!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I want one of each! All of these salads look so fabulous - awesome idea!
Katems says
These look great! You may have said this already, but what size are your jars?
Kathy Patalsky says
thanks! I used large 32oz jars
GlutenFreeHappyTummy says
what gorgeous jars! i love this ideas! the layers of color are just magnificent! thanks for sharing!
Kathy Patalsky says
thanks!
L. Eilander says
These are wonderful. I was wondering what type of spices do you use. I am new to making my own dressings and I never know how much or what type any hints and tips for diy vegan salad dressing (they are so expensive in the store I just can't afford them on our budget)