Marinated Golden Fennel Salad.

This raw Golden Fennel Salad is an easy veggie side dish that will perk up your taste buds, and you mood! One glance at this sunny neon yellow salad and you will feel like a sunbeam just poured into this bowl…

Crisp yellow, sunshine-filled golden fennel salad..

Paired with some very pretty sunset colors. The sun melted into the clouds and sea tonight..

To Serve. Toss in a few organic purple or golden raisins – or some chopped candied walnuts to accent the fennel. You can easily turn this salad into a meal by topping it with some miso-dipped tempeh or serve alongside a smoky tempeh pita pocket. This turmeric salad would pair amazingly with anything avocado-infused: Curry Deviled Avocado or this citrus avocado toast pinwheel platter.

The vibrant flavor of raw shaved fennel pairs deliciously with creamy tahini, sweet maple, lemon, a hint of garlic and plenty of anti-inflammatory turmeric powder. Fennel is a veggie that is excellent for digestive health and contains plenty of fiber, vitamin C and an anti-cancer nutrient anethole. Dive into this lovely golden bowl and enjoy the vibrant flavors while pumping up your daily wellness too!

I am a huge fan of fennel bulb. Fennel is that onion-looking bulb with celery-like stalks sticking out of it and feathery fennel fronds on the ends. Fennel has a licorice-like flavor with a bright, crisp bite, slightly sweet aftertaste. I love raw fennel shaved thinly. It pairs so well with a variety of flavors like lemon-olive oil dressings, sweet flavors like maple and citrus as well as nutty accents like walnut, hazelnut and chopped almond. This cool, crisp veggie can act as a slaw for a side dish – or even a sandwich topping when marinated in the fridge to soften.

Today I prepare my fennel with some turmeric. I really loved this recipe. And so did my husband! I was polishing off the bowl, while standing in the kitchen – it was that good. And he shouted from the other room, “Y-um! Is there any left?!” I stared into my empty bowl, just a bright yellow pool of turmeric dressing left, all the fennel gone .. whoops! Sorry hunny. But I them made the leftover sauce into a spicy dipping sauce paired with a few slices of walnut toast. He approved. Happy husband happy life. 🙂

Marinated Golden Fennel Salad
vegan, serves 2-3

1 large fennel bulb
1/4 cup sliced sweet onion
dressing:
1 heaping Tbsp tahini (for ultra-creamy salad add another tsp or two)
3 tsp grade B maple syrup
1 small lemon, squeezed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 – 1/4 tsp salt – to taste
a few pinches of fine black pepper

optional:
1/8 tsp grated fresh ginger
drizzle of your favorite healthy oil (extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil..)

marinating advice: Allow the fennel to marinate in the fridge a few hours before serving for a softer, more pickled crunchy salad texture. (But if in a hurry or if you prefer crisp and crunchy textures, served right away after tossing was delicious too.)

Directions:

1. Clean your fennel bulb well, remove and dirt or grit. Slice off the thick root stub and part of the inner thick rough stalk. Anything that feels super firm and hard on the end should be cut out. You want to use the soft bulb of the fennel root for your salad.

3. Thinly slice the fennel bulb and place in a large bowl. Slice and add onion and optional grated ginger.

4. You can simply add all the ingredients to the bowl and start tossing well. (Alternately, you could whisk together the dressing in a small cup and add mixed.)

5. Toss very well until all the fennel is evenly coated. A drizzle of oil is a nice touch, but optional. The tahini already contains healthy fats from sesame seeds.

6. Place fennel salad in the fridge, covered, for at least an hour before serving.