So ok, I know it’s a bit of a no brainer and the jar salad has taken the internet by storm but I haven’t had the healthiest 2 days so I thought salad for lunch would be a good idea!

I made 1 of these each for me and The Chap but if you don’t mind eating the same thing a few days in a row you can make more as they keep well for a few days in the fridge

For 2 jars you will need

• Bistro salad leaves
• 1/2 red onion, thinly slices
• 4 cooked beetroot
• 3 – 4 inches of a goat’s cheese log
• A small handful of pecans/walnuts
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp good balsamic vinegar *see note

Start with your dressing right in the jar – 1tbs olive oil and balsamic and a good pinch of salt and pepper and give it a swirl around

Toast some nuts in a dry pan and roughly chop

Get all your other bits ready for layering

Layer onion first, then the beetroot, then the cheese, then the leaves and lastly the chopped nuts

When ready to eat give the whole jar a good shake, then tumble out onto a plate to enjoy

Experiment with different versions, another favourite of mine is a middle eastern inspired one, for 1 single jar;

Dressing:

• 1/2tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp pomegrante molasses, you’ll find this in Asian supermarkets and it is magical stuff! If you can’t get it use a little more olive oil and grate in a tiny bit of garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Layer in this order:

• red onion sliced
• halved cherry tometoes
• roughly diced cucumber
• chick peas
• feta
• leaves, something crunchy like cos is good

 

*note on balasmic for cheapskates like me:

If you don’t have a lovely €15 bottle of balsamic lying around buy a cheap one, empty the contents out into a pan on high heat and cook until there’s about half the volume left

Your house won’t smell amazing at this point but magical things happen to the balsamic and it gets all sweet and sticky. Let it cool and then decant it back into the bottle to use as needed