Review: Mason Jar Salads and More by Julia Mirabella

18371512Mason Jar Salads and More
50 Layered Lunches to Grab and Go
By: Julia Mirabella
Publisher: Ulysses Press
Published: May 20, 2014
Genre: Cookbook
Rating:
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SALAD MAGIC IN A MASON JAR
Discover the coolest way to pack a tasty, healthy lunch! Mason Jar Salads and More shows how to prepare on-the-go meals that are packed with fresh produce and whole foods.

The tasty recipes and gorgeous full-color photos in this book will show you how to create amazing dishes, including:

•Pomegranate and pear salad
•Pesto tortellini with cherry tomatoes
•Crunchy Asian salad
•Spinach, blueberry and blue cheese salad
•Curried chicken salad
•Kale and avocado salad
•Porcini mushroom risotto
•Overnight oatmeal with fruit
•Green bean and feta salad

 

4reviewMason Jar Salads and More is a cookbook that contains a bunch or recipes that you pack into a mason jar. The title makes you think it’s just a bunch of lettuce mixtures but there really is a lot more to it than that. There are smoothies, oatmeal, pasta, bean, dip recipes in this book. I was really excited to give this book a try because I’ve always wondered about those mason jar meals you see online. I don’t only use it for quick on the go lunches, I use it for last minute I-don’t-feel-like-cooking dinners as well.

The first recipe I tried was the guacamole salad. Primarily because the Mr. has been on a guacamole kick lately. No seriously, we have a container of guacamole in the fridge at all times because he munches on it just about every night. So this was the perfect recipe to try. I made his with chicken and mine without and I must say that the salad was delicious. You don’t make guacamole, instead you chop up all the components of guacamole and layer them into the jar and let the flavors comes together. You end up with one delicious salad that resembles the guacamole dip. However, the avocado still browns fast even with it being in the jar, so don’t make it more than a day in advance.

The second recipe we tried was the lentil squash. I have been in a fall kick since September rolled around. So I decided to give this recipe a shot. I made a large amount of it so that we could have it for dinner that night. Then I let the ingredients cool down and put the rest into jars for later. I must say that it was just as good warmed up a couple days later as it was the day of. I put smaller mason jars for quick side dishes for later dinners.

If you are a busy person or just want to do some make ahead meals, this is a great book to have in your back pocket. Not only do you get recipes for meals, but Julia gives you recipes for salad dressings that you will use with the recipes. You literally make everything from start to finish. Which in my opinion makes the recipes much more delicious. Plus, my favorite feature from the cookbook are all the mouthwatering pictures. My biggest gripe about cookbooks is when they don’t have pictures in them. I’m a visual person and want to look at what I’m making, and thank goodness this one does. I really could go on and on about this book. I have only tried a couple recipes so far but I plan on trying more recipes in the very near future.

1favepart
salad2The lentil squash recipe was my favorite of the two recipes we tried. It’s perfect for the fall. Plus, it stores really well in the jar and tastes just as good two days later as it did when I made it. I will definitely be making this again.

kRISTIN

3 Thoughts on “Review: Mason Jar Salads and More by Julia Mirabella

  1. This seems to be a really big trend right now; a number of peeps that I follow on Instagram are constantly posting their latest mason jar creations. I’m too lazy to even make salads, my husband does all of the cooking in our house, including making my lunches, so maybe I’ll buy him this book for Xmas. Hehe!

  2. Love Mason jar things though I rarely use them for meals but it’s a great idea and less mess in the end. I’m all about less dishes to have to clean 🙂

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