Summer Shaved Fennel Salad 11Jul10

I know I know, it’s been a while since my last post. I have been incredibly busy! I started a very exciting new job, which includes a 2 hour commute from subway to train to cab, and 2 states away. Actually that sounds much worse than just saying I’m commuting from New York to Philadelphia. Regardless, I feel like I’m constantly playing catch up with my posts!

We’re currently going through a heat wave in New York. It’s been pretty ridiculously hot lately. So cooking has been around things that do not involve the oven. Baking is completely not an option. The second I turn on the stove, my tiny New York apartment goes up 10 degrees. Okay that might be an exaggeration but it sure does feel like it. Lately, I’ve been relying on the rice cooker, salads, and good ol Menu Pages!

I updated a previous fennel salad with some different flavors and a slight kick. I love fennel as a salad, it’s so refreshing and flavorful. I added some red bell peppers for added sweetness and color. And for some kick, I added sliced jalapeño! Hope you like it!

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small fennel blubs,
3 sprigs of fennel leaves
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped (or about a handful)
1 sprig of green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 limes
1 jalapeño, seeds removed
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Step 1: Chop!
Cut your limes in half and then use a mandolin to slice the fennel into really thin slices. Make sure to squeeze some lime juice on top of the sliced fennel as soon as you transfer it to a bowl to prevent browning. Squeeze all your limes over the fennel and mix with your hands before you move on. Slice a small red bell pepper into thin strips or you can use the mandolin as well. Toss in the chopped cilantro and green onion. Rip apart the fennel leaves and throw those in as well.

The very last thing you should chop is the jalapeño. Be very careful – some people like to wear gloves even – jalapeños can burn your hands and your eyes if you’re not careful! De-seed the pepper and thinly slice. Make sure you wash your hands after! You can add just a few slices if you’re not into the heat.

Step 2: Dress & mix!
Now pour over the rice wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper (to your liking). Mix and refrigerate! I like to let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes so the flavors blend.

You can always omit the jalapeño if you’re not into spicy things. The flavors will still work really well. I have some other recipes I’ve been meaning to post for a while so stay tuned!

Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, salads
Tags: cooking, food, recipe, recipes, salad, Summer, vegan, vegetarian

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 10:02 pm and is filed under food, mmmm, recipes, salads. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.