I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this salad! So fresh, healthy and vibrant in appearance and ingredients. I was grocery shopping and came across some beautiful baby zucchini and baby fennel, I just had to get them and make this dish. It can easily be made by finely slicing regular sized zucchini and fennel however. This fresh and simple fennel salad, is so quick to make! Finely slice your veg, dress with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper…DONE!
My soft spot for this salad lies in the fennel. Whilst its not your every day common vegetable and its liquorice/anise flavour does attract some haters. I am hoping to convince those haters otherwise. Being a vegetable mostly used in mediterranean cooking, I grew up eating a lot of fennel! My mum used to give my brother and I large fennel bulb pieces to chew on to sooth our teething as babies. Both its texture and composition being perfect for soothing sore gums. Apart from the baby teething benefits, the health benefits are quite wonderful too. It is high in dietary fibre and vitamin C, making it a powerful antioxidant and immune system booster. Many gut healing diets, such as ‘Gaps’, suggest the use of fennel due to its strong properties which help to improve digestive health.
Combining this wonderful, unused veg with the other equally as wonderful and healthy ingredients results in a really tasting, healthy, nutrient rich combination. It is a super versatile side to almost any dish or just perfect if you’re after a fresh light lunch.
Enjoy!
xxx
- 300g baby fennel (or normal sized) – sliced finely
- 200g baby zucchini (or normal size) – sliced finely
- 4 x celery sticks + (the celery hearts tender leaves) – sliced finely
- 1/4 cup of parsley – roughly chopped
- pinenuts – (amount to your liking)
- 1 x lemon – juice only
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ and once heated, toast the pinenuts till lightly golden, then leave to cool.
- In a medium bowl, add the finely sliced fennel, zucchini, celery and chopped up parsley.
- In a small bowl combine the olive oil and lemon juice.
- Once the pinenuts are cooled, add them to the rest of the salad along with the olive oil and lemon juice.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
