Be the envy of your office or your classmates with these perfectly portioned, surprisingly pretty, and healthy yet satisfying salads. They’re quick enough to prepare that you can make a batch for the week ahead without too much sweat—you’ll be glad you did.
Once you’ve mastered the formula, feel free to experiment with flavors. Start with pouring dressing into a jar and then layer your favorite ingredients like greens, veggies, rice, cheese, dried fruits, crunchy nuts, or croutons. If you’re not having a hurried desk lunch, pair your salad with a glass of Middle-Earth Rose.
Makes 6 jars
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1/3 cup edamame & sweet corn, each
1 pack vermicelli noodles, boiled
4 cups romaine, chopped
8-10 tablespoons salad dressing of choice
sliced figs or any other fruit of choice
Directions
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the kosher salt, ground black pepper and then add to the hot pan. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the chicken is well-browned on both sides and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes, or until the inside reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Once cooked through, remove from the pan and let cool. Then, slice or cube.
To assemble the mason jar salads, start with the dressing at the bottom. This will keep it as far away from the lettuce as possible and will allow us to add in other items later that can avoid getting mushy. You can add about 1-4 tbsp. of the dressing, depending on how much you prefer and how many other ingredients you’re going to add.
Follow the dressing layer with the grape tomatoes, followed by carrots, cabbage, corn and edamame. Top with vermicelli noodles, cooked chicken breast and smush as much greens as you like. Add sliced figs or any other fruit of choice and seal the lid tightly.
When you’re ready to eat your salad, just unscrew the cap and shake the contents out into a bowl. Everything gets pretty compacted in the jar, so some vigorous shaking might be needed. This shaking also helps to toss the salad ingredients with the dressing.
With the lid sealed tightly, these mason jar salads last 4-5 days in the fridge and are perfect for grab and go lunches or dinners during the week.
Chef Garima, an investment-banker turned baker-chef is the founder & CEO of breakingbread.co , an events & catering company. She is an alumni of Le Cordon Bleu, Paris & has been featured as Top 15 in reality television show- MasterChef. Chef Garima is a culinary innovator who speaks in various institutions, globally about smart & efficient ways to use food as an eradicator of health issues, poverty & induce employment.
