Healthy Cooking with Deb! 

Recipes:  

Mason Jar Power Salad

Homemade Crunchy Salad Toppers

Mason Jar Power Salad

Makes 1 Quart Mason Jar Salad (serves 1-2 people)

INGREDIENTS (substitute or adjust as desired to fit your taste and jar size)

  • 1/2 cup Black Beans or Garbanzo Beans from a can (or cooked, and cooled)
  • 1/2 cup Lacinato “Dinosaur” Kale (dark kind with large, long skinny leaves), chopped into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1/2 cup Roasted Vegetables, diced, cooled (can use leftovers from the day before) (Roasted Vegetables could be Red or Yellow Beet, Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprout, Red Onion, or other firm vegetable.)  
  • 1/2 cup Red Cabbage, diced
  • 1/2 cup Romaine Lettuce, chopped (or other green such as cilantro)
  • 1 Kiwi, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and then sliced
  • 1/2 Cara Cara orange (or other variety), peeled, cut in half horizontally, and then sliced
  • 1 cup Baby Arugula (or Spinach)
  • 1 Green Onion, sliced thin

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Select a quart size Glass Jar with cover to use for your salad.  The Jar can be any Mason jar or glass jar re-used from another pantry/grocery item.  A wide mouth jar works better than a narrow mouth jar.
  • Prepare one of the salad dressings (recipe choices are below).  Two to three Tablespoons of Dressing (or desired amount) can be added to the Jar first so it is at the bottom (or stored in a separate container to add to the salad at the time of serving).  
  • Add ingredients to the Jar in the order listed starting with the beans and ending with the green onion.  When adding the kiwi and orange, arrange the slices along the side edges so they are visible from the exterior of the Jar for color contrast.
  • When serving the Salad, pour the Jar contents out on to 1 large plate or 2 medium size plates and add dressing (or more dressing) to taste.  Also, add some Crunchy Salad Toppers to the top if desired (recipe below).

 

3-2-1 Balsamic Dressing

INGREDIENTS 

  • 3 Tablespoons Traditional 18 Year Aged Dark Balsamic Vinegar (a good source is www.outrageousoliveoil.com in Old Town Scottsdale)
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon 100% Pure Maple Syrup

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients together.  Taste and adjust to add a little extra Maple Syrup or dash of salt if desired.  
  • Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.

 

Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

INGREDIENTS

  • 3/4 cup Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Rice Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons 100% Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Coconut Aminos (alternates: 1/4 teaspoon Gluten Free Tamari or Gluten Free Soy Sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon Hemp Seeds (optional – adds a little creamy texture)
  • Dash of Cayenne Pepper (optional)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Add all dressing ingredients into a small blender such as a Nutrabullet and blend 5 seconds.  
  • Taste and adjust to add a little extra Maple Syrup if desired.  
  • Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Homemade Crunchy Salad Toppers

Makes 1 1/2 cups 

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 Tablespoons Flax Seed, (to be ground in Step #2) (equals 1/3 cup Flax Meal) (a good source is Natural Grocers – refrigerated nuts/seeds section)
  • 2 Tablespoons Water
  • 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 1/3 cup Walnuts, chopped, finely
  • 2 Tablespoons Slivered Almonds
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 300° F.  Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and then put a layer of parchment paper on top of the tin foil.
  • If you are using whole flax seed, place the seeds in a coffee grinder or Nutrabullet cup and grind the whole flax seed for a few seconds just until broken into pieces.  
  • Place water and maple syrup into a small bowl and then add the ground flax seed and stir well.  
  • Stir in the walnuts and slivered almonds, then add sesame seeds and cinnamon.  
  • Place mixture on parchment paper and spread out into a thin layer of clumps.
  • Bake in the 300° F preheated oven 10 minutes, turn the mixture over with a spatula flipper, and then bake another 10 minutes.  
  • Remove from the oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a large plate and let sit on the counter to dry further.  This allows for further drying so the topping is crunchy.  Store leftovers in a 2-cup size glass dish with cover in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.