Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer – Make ahead salad

It’s time for Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer and today we’re talking about make ahead salads. Often when we make salads for a party we tend to just dump everything in and slather on the dressing but by the time we go to eat it, it’s all wilted and icky. Or if you’re a salad for lunch type of person you may make a huge salad on Sunday and break it up into containers for the week only to have Wednesday’s salad be all soggy and gross!

Today I’m going to share with you the secret ti making your weekly salad OR the salad for a crowd ahead of time WITH the dressing included!

Just layer the ingredients in one large bowl or several small mason jars (I use pint jars).

1. Place the dressing at the bottom.
2. Next add sturdy, wilt-resistant vegetables (such as cut-up peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and radishes). This layer is used to shield the dressing from the lettuce and other vulnerable ingredients.
3. The next layer (which is optional) is where you will put beans and other less hearty vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini, sprouts, green beans, corn and so forth if you’re using them. This is also the layer you would put your avocado if you’re having it in your salad. In essence this layer acts as a second defense between the dressing and lettuce.a
4. Next comes your proteins (chicken, tuna, beef, etc) and your cheeses.
5. Lastly top with your greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc), seeds and nuts.
6. If in a big bowl, cover with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap. If it’s in a mason jar, just seal ’em up!
7. When you’re ready to eat, then add your croutons and shake to distribute the dressing (again this only works with the mason jar). If it’s in a big bowl just toss with salad tongs.