Photo of Layered mason jar quinoa and veggie salad by WW

Layered mason jar quinoa and veggie salad

4
Points®
Total Time
52 min
Prep
22 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
This light lunch (or side dish) by Chef Carla Hall is served layered in an easily portable mason jar, making it ideal for on-the-go meals. Red quinoa, which becomes more brown once it is cooked, has a slightly nuttier flavor and chewier texture than the more commonly available white quinoa. It is often preferred for cold salads as it tends to hold its shape better after it is cooked, and it also offers a pretty visual contrast to the colorful vegetables. But nutritionally, there is no difference between the varieties, and they are all cooked exactly the same, with only some slight variation in cooking time.

Ingredients

Uncooked quinoa

1 cup(s), red variety

Uncooked string beans

¾ pound(s), chopped into bite-size pieces

Dill

2 sprig(s), fresh, chopped

Cooked corn

2 ear(s), medium, kernels cut off cob

Jalapeño pepper

1 small, seeded and finely chopped

Red bell pepper

1 cup(s), diced

Nectarine

1 medium, finely diced

Lemon zest

1½ tsp

Fresh lemon juice

1½ Tbsp

Canola oil

4 Tbsp, or other mild oil

Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp

Sugar

¼ tsp

Kosher salt

½ tsp, or to taste

Black pepper

1 pinch(es), freshly ground

Instructions

  1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions; fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature.
  2. Blanch green beans in salted water; drain and toss with dill.
  3. Toss corn with jalapeno.
  4. Evenly divide and layer corn, quinoa, red pepper, green beans and nectarine among 8 pint-size mason jars (leave at least 1-inch space from neck of jar); screw lid on and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  5. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, oil, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper iin a bowl.
  6. When ready to serve, spoon 1 Tbsp dressing into each jar and shake to coat evenly.
  7. Serving Size: 1 jar

Notes

This recipe by Chef Carla Hall has been adapted for WeightWatchers® with permission.