Name: Mexican Kilner Jar Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 lime (juiced); 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp hot sauce; ½ red pepper (diced); ¼ cucumber (diced); 2 tbsp sweetcorn; ½ red onion (sliced); ½ avocado (cut into large chunks); 1 tomato (diced); 2 tbsp red kidney beans; 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro) (chopped); 2 tbsp iceberg lettuce (sliced)

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This Mexican kilner jar salad is ideal for prepping in advance. When you want to eat it, just turn the jar upside down. It's colourful, healthy and great as a meal in itself or just as a side salad.

I don't consider making food look good to be one of my strengths. Making tasty food is more (I hope) where my talents lie. However, when I was asked if I would like to take part in a competition to present something tasty in a Kilner jar, I was tempted. Kilner jars have become incredibly popular recently, not just for canning and preserving food, but for presenting sweets, soups, drinks, desserts, salads and probably many more things.

Initially I was considering making a trifle. I thought I could make it look good in the jar, but I very much doubted I'd be able to get it out of the jar and still make it look good. I soon moved on from that idea. At least for now.

I then started thinking about salads and decided on this colourful Mexican bean salad. It may not be the most original thing to fill the jar with, but it was very very tasty.

How to Make a Kilner Jar Salad

You need to make sure that the Kilner jar is big enough to fit all the salad ingredients in without having to squash them but of course not too big. The size may depend on whether you are making a salad for one or two people. I used a 1 litre jar and it was big enough to serve 2 people generously but could serve up to 4 as a side salad.

It's important to add the dressing to the jar first and then put crunchy vegetables in next. The vegetables at the bottom need to be ones that won't go soggy in the dressing. The lettuce and herbs should go at the top so they don't get crushed. In between you can add whatever extra ingredients you like!

Before serving you can turn the jar upside down for 5 minutes so the dressing runs down and coats all the vegetables.

Can you adapt this Mexican Kilner Jar Salad?

If you'd like a more fiery salad, add a little sliced chilli pepper or some jalapenos to the jar as well as the hot sauce. Or if you'd like a non-vegetarian salad, a little roasted chicken would go well too. You could use any leftover roasted meats.

How long does a Kilner jar salad keep?

I think this salad keeps well for about three days. You could make a few jars in advance and then just take one to work with you each day.

What other salads could you put in a kilner jar

Why not try putting one of my other salads into a kilner jar. I would suggest my Spanish bean salad with red peppers, my Caribbean three bean salad or my curried pearl barley salad.