Doesn’t that look cool? I’ve seen the whole salad-in-a-jar thing on Pinterest and various blogs and thought it was about time I tried it for myself! I have to say it works wonderfully well. Presentation and practicality aside, this is a fabulous salad. It’s so quick and easy to make, tastes really good and is absolutely jam packed full of healthy ingredients.
I used to eat buckwheat a lot more often a few years ago but got out of the habit when I stopped being vegan. Don’t let the name fool you though, buckwheat is actually a gluten and wheat free wholegrain.
It found it’s way back onto my radar when I was researching the best nutrition for preventing varicose veins. As I’ve mentioned in my pregnancy updates I had started to get concerned about my legs as they were getting very achy and the veins seemed to be a lot more noticeable. My Mam and Sister didn’t develop them in their pregnancies but my Grandmother has had a lot of problems with hers and it’s certainly something I’d like to do my best to avoid. Linked to the development of varicose veins are other tasty conditions such as haemorrhoids, as both are linked to vascular health.
The magic ingredient in buckwheat is a compound called Rutin which is a bioflavonoid with antioxidant abilities. It is also found in the skin of certain fruit. Some research has shown that Rutin can improve circulation and vascular health. As I also like the taste of buckwheat I though there’s no harm in including it in my diet more often to see if it could help!
For this particular salad recipe, I combined the buckwheat with blueberries and orange, both full of vitamin C and other antioxidants, all great for vascular health as well. The feta gives the salad a lovely saltiness to counter that sweetness, and the dressing includes raw apple cider vinegar for yet more nutrient punch and extra virgin olive oil for healthy fats.
I decided to soak the buckwheat rather than cook it as it not only saves time but makes the buckwheat more digestible by partially sprouting it. I also love the texture of soaked buckwheat, it has a lovely nuttiness that works so well with the other ingredients.
- 2/3rds cup dry buckwheat
- 200g fresh blueberries
- 100g feta cheese
- Lettuce
- Juice from one orange
- 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of salt
- The night before you want to make the salad, pop the dry buckwheat into a bowl and cover with water. The next day drain the buckwheat in a sieve and rinse well. Make the salad dressing by lightly whisking all the ingredients together. To assemble the salads get two clean jars and divide the blueberries between them, next add the feta cubed up followed by the drained and rinsed buckwheat. Pour 2-3 tbsp of the dressing on top of the buckwheat. Shred your lettuce and tightly pack it into the jar before screwing the lid on. Store in the fridge and when ready to serve just tip out into a bowl and enjoy!
- Of course this doesn't have to be made in a jar, just whack everything into a bowl or lunch box if you prefer.
- To make this vegan substitute the feta for some cubed tofu (Taifun basil tofu would work well here)
Have you tried buckwheat? What do you think of the salad in a jar idea?
Love the jar idea – nothing worse than soggy salad, I am going to giveit a try. I am super excited to try and introduce buckwheat into my life again (I removed all grain to help heal my unhappy tummy) – buck wheat pancakes are also super yummy and i didnt realise that it is more of a seed than a grain so great for low grain/grain free eating:)
I have to say it worked really well, even the lettuce stayed crispy after sitting in a warm car for 4 hours! I always found that buckwheat digested quite well for me, happy to be enjoying it again!
I love the whole “salad in a jar” concept! Easy, delicious and it looks lovely and colourful. Jar salads are my go-to lunch at the moment.
Soaking buckwheat is totally new to me – I need to try this… The combination of blueberries, buckwheat, feta and orange sounds so summery delicious. Thanks for sharing, will definitely give this recipe a try! :-)
Oh definitely try the soaked buckwheat I really love it plus it’s just so easy!
You take such beautiful food photos :) ! Definitely going to try out salad in the jar too. (Especially as I love buckwheat but rarely make it)
Thanks Lucy :-) Hope you enjoy it, I think the whole soaking thing makes it so much easier!
I love salads in a jar and I often send my husband to work with one. I think he finds the fact that they are in a jar more appealing. This looks really good too.
There’s definitely something a lot more fun about them that way!
Yum! I am totally making this for work next week – once I’ve brought a jar and some buckwheat! Looks so good thanks!
Haha, enjoy!
I love putting meals in jars – I don’t know why I just like it haha. This salad looks fresh and delicious! I love feta – we have Greek salad at east once a week for lunch :)
Me too, I think it just makes them more fun somehow!
Love the sound of this salad and I am loving the idea of salad in a jar, seen it about quite a lot recently and I think its a great idea as long as the lid stays tight! ha x
I have to say I’m converted, it works so well and no messy separate salad dressing either!
Yum! We are fully causeing this to be intended for operate in the near future – as soon as I’ve delivered the jar plus some buckwheat! Appears to be delicious appreciate it!
Hope you enjoy Dane!
I’m another lover for this idea of a salad in a jar! And never knew you could just soak the buckwheat rather than cooking it. I dont like cooking as such when it’s hot because the heat builds up really easily in my flat when I use the oven or hob, so this is a great idea!
Yes it works really well and I prefer it like that really, as you say it is so much better than cooking it in warm weather!
That looks lovely, I’ve been eyeing up ‘salad in a jars’ on Pinterest for a while but can’t seem to find a suitable jar – where are you guys getting them from?! x
That one I used was an old large coconut oil jar, I like the ones with the wide mouth. I’ve also got some good big ones from things like pickled beets or sauerkraut!
I never knew about the whole soaking buckwheat thing – this sounds excellent for time-saving! Brilliant :) Love feta as well, one of my favourite cheeses. Love the salad in a jar concept as well. Would have to be a pretty big jar for me though!! ;-)
The jar idea is really clever! A great way to keep the salad crunchy.
I love buckwheat flour pancakes but I have never had actual buckwheat (I don’t think).
I love buckwheat, have it soaked for breakfast quite often. Like the salad in a jar.
I’ve spotted the salad in a jar thing on Pinterest just lately and the salads look so pretty with all their layers. Salad has to be one of my favourite meals. I love that pretty much anything can go in a salad and like trying weird and wonderful combinations!
This looks great, I love blueberry so much and will definitely try this salad soon. Thank you for sharing this one.