Run Plant Based

Formerly The Raw Project - Running on a Healthy Vegan Diet

Simple Fennel Salad

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I have a lot of fennel from our adventure Saturday, I went overboard picking it. I’m a sucker for all-you-can-pick organic produce, what can I say?

I’ve always wanted to get more creative with fennel since the stuff grows as a weed all over the place here. And it’s a good source of phytonutrients for strong antioxident activity and an anti-inflammatory. You can read more of the science stuff here.  Fennel fronds have a licorice like flavor that I used to pick and eat all the time as a kid, it takes me back to fun, simpler times playing outside during summer vacation. I miss summer vacation… Anyway, I scoured the web for recipe inspiration and came across this recipe on Oprah’s site … wait, Oprah? I didn’t have all the ingredients … like the endive, pear, teardrop tomatoes, and chopped almonds. But when has that ever stopped me?

I did have this work-of-art heirloom tomato from Saturday.

And some amazing figs I bought at the festival, they’d make a good alternative for the pear – right?

Micro-chopping fennel fronds is kind of therapeutic after a long day at work.

I tossed the chopped fennel in large salad bowl with ground mustard, white wine vinegar, and olive oil.

Then added the rest of the salad to the bowl using hemp seeds as an alternative for the almonds and thoroughly tossed.

And my huge, dinner salad was served.

The verdict? Excellent. It has a light dilly, licorice-like flavor that’s not too strong and paired perfectly with the tangy mustard. That chopped figs added a fun sweet & sour twist to the salad, it’s a fantastic summer flavor combo. And with hemp seeds and chopped avocado, it made a very filling meal.

What’s your favorite fennel recipe?

Comments

  2. The figs..I was just at a market in mexico city and they had figs in sort of a sweet syrup..to die for!

    And fennel, i dig it! I love roasting it with coconut oil + ground ginger. Normally i prefer raw veggies but fennel is one (As are beets) that i prefer cooked b/c they carmelize…yum!

  4. I’e never cooked with fennel. In fact, the only way I can REALLY recall eating it is in my mom’s tomato sauce that she loads with dried fennel…so much that it’s a little gross :)

  5. gosh i do not think i have ever had fennel! how crazy is that? long how adventuresome you are in the kitchen christine!

  6. I actually cooked with fennel for the first time ever just a couple of weeks ago! I absolutely LOVED it and am so sad I missed all these years without it!

    This looks delish :)