Homemade Hummus, Lunchbox ideas & Mason Jar Salads Cookbook Review

I'm a Southern girl, and I'll admit, we do love our mason jars! But for something that was mainly used for canning (and moonshine!), mason jars are seen everywhere and used for everything nowadays. Just hit up Pinterest and you will see what I mean. What many have come to realize, and we Southern women have known for decades *grin*, is that glass mason jars are great for storing things...especially food because you don't have to worry about any weird chemicals leaching out. Making salads ahead of time and storing them in the fridge for a weeks worth of healthy lunches/dinners has been all the rage recently, and everyone I've seen is stored in a mason jar. So, when given the opportunity to review the cookbook Mason Jar Salads and More by Julia Mirabella,  I was more than eager to check it out, as were my Pinterest loving daughters.

First I have to say that the photography in this book is AMAZING. Almost every recipe comes with a gorgeous color photo. The other thing that I loved about the book is it is not just salads in a mason jar, even though everyone in it looks delicious. It gave me ideas on storing other foods, and lunchbox ideas!! This is huge since I have 3 kids who all carry their lunches to school almost everyday. That's a lot of lunches in a year, and ideas run out quick. So, when my 11 year old saw the Spicy Hummus and vegetables recipe, she asked could she make it and take it for her lunch. Absolutely! I was pleased that we had everything to make it, and she was able to do it almost entirely by herself. I loved the way the hummus and veggies were packaged in a small mason jar. It is such a handy and unique way to carry hummus to school. AND it's healthy, homemade, and my daughter loved it! I'm thinking I could send my dessert hummus to school for snack the same way....maybe stick apple slices in it?

Spicy Hummus and Vegetables

reprinted with permission from Mason Jar Salads and More

There’s no better midday snack than veggies with hummus — and the great thing about this snack is that you don’t need separate containers for the dip and the vegetables. All you have to do is plant your veggies upright in the dip, close the Mason jar, and voilà, you have something to see you through the afternoon at work.

Makes 4 servings

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil, as needed


1 clove garlic, roughly chopped


3 tablespoons tahini

1⁄2 teaspoon salt


1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper


6 tablespoons lemon juice


1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

celery and carrots, for dipping

4 half-pint Mason jars

•  Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor along with 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the garlic, tahini, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Process to blend the ingredients together. If needed to achieve the desired smooth consistency, add another tablespoon of olive oil.
• Cut the celery and carrots into strips that will fit into the Mason jar with the top closed. Scoop 1⁄2 cup of hummus into the bottom of the jar and then set the vegetable strips upright in the hummus. Seal the jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

This is just one of many recipes that I have bookmarked. Next on my list is a Blueberry Vinaigrette that sounds amazing, along with a Citrus-Soy Vinaigrette, I want to make ahead some salads for my own lunches as well. The Orzo Pasta Salad, the Cobb Salad, and the Asian Greens Salad all sound really good. I also want to get back to my overnight oats, which I always prepare in a mason jar. There are several smoothie recipes in the book as well. So, if you are part of the mason jar fandom (my kids taught me this word) then you should enjoy this cookbook!

   I may be linking up at any of the following - (Monday) The Tumbleweed Contessa, The Dedicated House, Skip to my Lou, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Huckleberry Love (Tuesday) Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday, Sowdering About in Seattle, Naptime Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, Memories By the Mile,Inside BruCrew Life, VMG206, Anyonita Nibbles (Wednesday) The Newlyweds Pilgrimage, Fluster Buster, Mostly Homemade Mom, Adorned from Above,Ginger Snap Crafts, Naptime is My Time, Tessa the Domestic Diva (Thursday) Project Inspire,Joyful Homemaking, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lamberts Lately (Friday) Foodtastic Fridays, Just Us Four, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo, Diana Rambles, The Better Baker, The Best Blog Recipes,Close to Home, 30 Handmade Days, A Peek Into My Paradise,The Jenny Evolution , Walking on Sunshine, Vintage Chic, Lady Behind the Curtain (Saturday) Six Sisters' Stuff, Made from Pinterest