Mexican Mason Jar Salad
By Suzanne Boothby
Not all Mexican food is created equal. Get the flavors of your favorite taco or burrito but in salad form. This recipe combines a dressing with fresh-squeezed lime, chili powder and red pepper flakes with black beans, quinoa, avocado and greens.
The secret to keeping this on-the-go salad fresh is to keep the dressing on the bottom and the greens at the top. You’ll want to get some pint-sized (16 ounces) wide-mouth mason jars to use for these salads (or something similar). Get ready for a fiesta!
Ingredients
For the Chile Lime Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Jars
- 1 15-oz can (400g) of black beans (BPA free)
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked*
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 handful cilantro
- 4 cups romaine lettuce (cos), shredded (about one head)
Also needed: 4 (16 ounce/pint-size) wide-mouth jars
Directions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Place an equal amount of dressing at the bottom of each jar.
- Prepare the avocado, tomato, cilantro mixture by chopping all ingredients and mixing together in a large bowl.
- Now it’s time to layer your salad. Start with black beans, quinoa, avocado-tomato mixture and finally, lettuce. Put the lid on your salads and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Salads will last for up to a week in the fridge when unmixed.)
- When you’re ready to eat, shake well and serve or empty jar onto a large plate or bowl and enjoy!
*Simple quinoa cooking instructions: Cook 1 cup quinoa with 1.5 cups of broth or water. Once cooked, put in an air-tight container in the fridge until you are ready to make your mason jar salad.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 pint-sized (16 ounces) wide-mouth mason jar
Substitutions
Black beans – pinto beans
Cilantro – parsley