Baby fennel bulb salad with oranges

Fennel bulb is something that people either loves or hate. It is highly aromatic and with its sweet mild licorice or anise seed flavour it either appeals to you or not.

Fennel bulb is apparently very healthy because it contains anethole which has repeatedly been shown to reduce inflammation and to help prevent the occurrence of cancer.  In addition, fennel bulb is an excellent source of Vitamin C. It is also a very good source of fibre which reduces elevated cholesterol levels and it also removes potentially carcinogenic toxins from the colon. This is useful in the prevention of colon cancer. Fennel is also a very good source of folate and potassium which assist in combating heart attacks and strokes.

I use the leaves often as a garnish and I also enjoy cooking the bulb, which can be seen with this Leg of lamb with fennel!

I enjoy the vegetable fresh, not so much for its flavour, but for its crunchy and refreshing texture!

In this salad I combined it with oranges and found it to be an excellent and refreshing combination! Serve it with fish, chicken, lamb or beef!

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

80ml orange juice

30ml olive oil

5ml honey

5ml English mustard

salt and pepper

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and keep aside. 

For the salad:

100g walnuts

45ml honey

3 baby gem lettuces’ leaves

3 peeled oranges, thinly sliced

6 bay fennel bulbs, sliced 

Place the walnuts into a heated saucepan and brown for a minute. Add the honey and cook together for a minute or two mixing the nuts to be coated with the honey. Remove from the heat and cool down. 

Arrange the lettuce on a serving plate and top with the orange slices. 

Place the sliced fennel on top and cover with the honey coated walnuts. 

Serve with the salad sauce on the side.

Tags: baby fennel, Baby fennel bulb salad with oranges, Fennel, Fennel Bulb, fresh, honey coated walnuts, oranges, salad, Side dish, Vegetarian