Fennel Grapefruit Salad.

Fennel Grapefruit Salad.

Fennel (Anise) is one of those vegetables that most people don't use often, if ever. I have been trying to incorporate new and different produce into my diet to help get a broader range of nutrition. It's so easy to eat the same old salad! Unfortunately,  I can't take full credit for this salad. I saw a similar recipe in Raw Food Real World, but realized I didn't have all of the ingredients after I got started. I just improvised a little and the end product was quite amazing!!  

My main reason for making this particular salad today, was that I had a fennel bulb sitting in the frig just dying (literally) to be used! Poor thing was starting to dry out a bit and I just didn't want it to go to waste!  If you've never eaten Fennel, I recommend adding it to your diet now and then. It actually has a nice mild flavor and a nice crunch to it. It also has great health benefits:

*High in Iron, so it's great for anemia.

*Anetol, a component of the essential oils in Fennel, is helpful for renal colic (usually caused by kidney stones). Anetol, along with Cineole, have anti bacterial and disinfectant properties that can help with diarrhea that is caused by a bacteria, or any other problems caused by bacterias. They also have expectorant properties and can help with lung problems like congestion, cough, or bronchitis.

*It's good for the GI system and can help with indigestion, gas, and constipation. Helping the bowels move helps to get toxins out of the body!

*Female friendly:) Helps regulate menstruation by regulating hormonal action in the body. Helps increase milk production in lactating mothers too.

*It's also a diuretic (increases the frequency of urination) so it helps to remove toxic from the body and decreases swelling. 

What you will need:

Fennel Bulb sliced thinly

Mixed Greens

Grapefruit or Oranges (squeeze some of the juice into dressing)

Dressing:

1-2 tablespoons Sunflower Oil

1/2 to 1 tablespoon of Lime Juice

Pinch Himalayan Salt

Pepper to taste

I'm sorry that these are not exact measurements for the dressing. I made it pretty quickly and forgot to measure. It's delicious though, and you can't really screw it up!

Can you see how this poor fella is drying out?!

Cut off both ends of the Fennel.

Slice the bulb in half.

Remove the fibrous center by cutting a v shape. I actually missed a small part in this picture and had to go back and cut it out.

It's important to cut the grapefruit so the membranes don't remain. If you leave the membranes on it makes the grapefruit tough. Cut grapefruit in half and then cut the ends off so you can stand it upright. Slice along the membranes to remove them from the fleshy part of the grapefruit. Cut away from peel. Save any juice to add to the dressing.

Mix Fennel with salad greens and toss in Grapefruit. I used prepackaged organic herbed salad greens. It's delicious with the arugula and dill in it! Cut the grapefruit into small slices and add to salad. Top with the dressing.