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SHAKE & TAKE: SALAD IN A JAR by Chef Erin Yeschin

by LIVING HEALTH on May 2, 2017

Shake & Take Salad

Salad, you cannot go wrong with it. As part of our new way of eating, we’ll be doing our best to up the leafy greens in our daily diet.

Combined with our busy schedules, this new found culinary plan has potential of being quite a challenge, but when it comes to our health we refuse to give up, so we consider this awesome idea a HUGE kickstart in healthier living but without the added headache or expense of pricey meal plans. We’ve taken the old “Shake n’ Bake” adage and repurposed it into “Shake & Take”!

A Salad in a Jar!

Ready to get your health kick on while squeezing in an arm workout too? Then lets do this!

First up is everyone’s favorite southern beverage holder, the Mason Jar! The rest, dear kiddies, is pretty much up to you—fill it with Cobb goodness or maybe a bit of Waldorf wonder.

The key to making a great Shake & Take salad is (wait for it) LAYERING. Your first and bottom layer should ALWAYS be your dressing. Then add the heavier ingredients that can still stay intact while being submerged in dressing. (ie. beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onion, etc.).

Next, pop in your items that are substantial in texture but may not do so well sitting in dressing when stored like avocado, oranges and mushrooms. Your leafy greens like spinach, kale, chard, and our personal fave, rocket (aka: arugula) should follow, topped with any accent items you prefer such as quinoa, nuts or croutons.

What’s great about the last few layers is that they won’t get soggy in the dressing and help to weigh the down the greens a bit to fit in more yummy goodness.

Make It For The Taking

These salads are great to make in advance for a quick lunch packed with healthy options to-go and should last up to a week when refrigerated. At the very least, a solid 4 days…depending on ingredients.

Once you’ve reached your final destination, you can either shake it like a polaroid picture or unscrew the cap and dump in a bowl.

Because of that oh-so-particular layering, your greens are crisp, the accents are still fresh and that yummy dressing’s applied perfectly. Could it get any better? Why yes, in fact, all set to the power of you. When it comes to the Shake & Take Salad theory, the possibilities (and flavors) are endless.

Don’t just stop at salads on the go….you can create a week’s worth of pre-prepped meals and store in the fridge until it’s time to eat! With this method, you can take the guess work & prep out of the whole “whats for dinner tonight” dilemma.

Let this be an easy solution to eating healthier—grab a mason jar, fill it to your heart’s content and shake it baby, shake it!

Here Is How To Make Your Salad

There are two ways to incorporate the salad dressing in the Mason jar: add it to the bottom of the jar and layer the other ingredients, or use BNTO Canning Jar adaptor, which sits on top of the salad.

Salad and Dressing Preparation

Prep: 20 mins.

Cook: 0 hr.

Category: Raw

Here is a simple recipe for an appetizing “Shake & Take” salad.

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:

1 cup of organic, extra-virgin olive oil

4 tbs. of white wine vinegar

1/2 lime (juiced)

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 clove of garlic (peeled)

1 tbs. curry powder

A pinch of Celtic salt

1 tsp. black pepper (freshly ground)

Equipment:

Sharp knife

High-speed blender

Directions:

Cut the lime in half and juice one half into the blender. Put all other ingredients and blend until garlic has become liquified. Put the equivalent of 1 cup in the Mason jar—unless you are using the BNTO. In that case, fill it up to 2/3 of the small container.

Ingredients for Salad:

1/2 thin head of romaine lettuce

1 cup of spinach

3 heirloom carrots (purple, yellow and deep orange)

1 tomato

1/2 red onion

1/2 daikon radish

2 tbs. macadamia nuts

2 tbs. cashews

Equipment:

Cutting board

Sharp knife

Directions:

Thinly slice each one of the vegetables and leafy greens, except for the spinach. Dice the tomato. Follow the above plan for layering the ingredients in the jar.