Kale Fennel Salad

Fresh fennel...ever have it? This is my first time. A friend of mine was enjoying some crunchy fennel at work last week and it sparked my curiosity. Once fennel was on my mind I saw it everywhere - fennel pizza, fennel in the grocery store... ok that's about it, maybe "everywhere" was an overstatement.

Some observations on fennel:

- It has a similar texture to celery - crunchy and refreshing. 

- It has a spectacular black licorice aroma and a mild black licorice taste. I really dislike black licorice and I enjoy fennel (this is my proof that the taste is quite mild, so you believe me now, right?).

This is fresh fennel (isn't it pretty?):

I was a little hesitant to have fennel on its own so I decided to pair it with my trusty favourite, Kale.

This salad is full of flavour and tang and is probably not for the faint of heart.

Recipe: 

Ingredients: 
3 cups of kale
1/2 bulb of fennel, sliced thin
1 handful of fresh, chopped parsley*
Juice of half a lemon**
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
Ground pepper

* I bet fresh dill would also be great.
**This is a very tangy salad, which I love, but if you're not into extreme tang you may want to reduce the lemon juice to a little less than half a lemon.

Directions: 

1. Remove and discard the middle spine of the kale. Chop the leaves into thin strips. 

2. When preparing fennel remove the tall stalks and eat the bottom bulb. You also have to remove the inner heart of the fennel. For a quick, helpful video on chopping fennel look here. 

3. Combine the kale, fennel, and parsley in a medium bowl. 

4. Mix together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and pepper. 

5. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and enjoy. 

Go ahead, be crazy, try something new.

Rebecca