Delicious Granny Apple-Fennel Slaw

Delicious Granny Apple-Fennel Slaw …

When I say “fennel,” the reaction I get is either enthusiastic love or a wrinkled nose! I don’t know which camp you’re in. But maybe you’re like me and you never had fennel as a child so you’ve been in a neutral holding pattern, until now. Just think mmm, tasty, cold, green, crunchy!

In my second 50 years of living (gosh!), I’ve been served fennel a number of times quite deliciously, so my curiosity for this celery-type looking veggie has been piqued. I don’t really love the taste of black licorice (I was a Good ‘N Fruity lover, not a Good ‘N Plenty lover) so I thought fennel wouldn’t be my cup of tea, as it were (see below for how to make a nice cup of fennel tea!). To my great surprise, it doesn’t really taste strongly of licorice at all and whatever flavor it has kind of disappears and naturally blends with whatever you’re mixing it with.

Recently, I did a blog post for a wonderful Ina Garten recipe for Crusty Fennel Casserole (veganized!) and Dr. Oz’s Fennel Tea. Today’s fennel recipe shows the great flavor combination of green apple and fennel in this fabulous, cold, crunchy, tasty slaw that packs a great nutrient punch and serves as a beautiful spring side dish anytime! It’s also wonderful to top a mixed greens or wild arugula with the Granny Apple-Fennel Slaw for a layered salad.

Delicious Granny Apple-Fennel Slaw

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons of dried tarragon (or freshly chopped)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon agave syrup
3 celery stalks, sliced diagonally thinly
1/4 cup celery leaves
3 fennel bulbs, sliced crosswise, thinly (hard core removed)
1 Tablespoon chopped fennel leaves
2 Tablespoons hemp seeds
2 large green apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tarragon, lemon juice and agave syrup
Add the celery slices and celery leaves, the sliced fennel and fennel leaves, the apple slices and hemp seeds
Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper
If you have the time, allow to chill and the flavors to blend in the refrigerator for about a half hour.

Notes: For an added kick, you can add minced shallots and red pepper flakes. After initially serving this, I put the remainder in the refrigerator for a few days and the flavors blended so beautifully, it stayed crunchy and was still delicious!

Fun Facts About Fennel

it’s part of the Umbellifereae family and related to parsley, carrots and dill
everything about the plant is edible: bulb, stalks, green leaves and seeds from the flowers
early Greeks and Romans cherished fennel and mythologized about its medicinal and culinary properties
it is widely used in French and Italian dishes and in the Mediterranean Diet
contains a unique combination of phytonutrients including the antioxidants quercetin and rutin
historically, it has been used in women’s health to increase lactation, facilitate birth, promote menstruation
it can help lower your LDL cholesterol
it’s a natural source of estrogen
it has been used to treat backache, low libido, loss of appetite and infantile colic
it is well-known remedy for flatulence, constipation and gastro issues
contains anethole, fenchone and estragole which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anti-microbial and cancer protective properties
contributes to building and maintaining bone structure and health
found to help lower blood pressure and protect the heart due to its vasodilatory and vasoprotective properties

FENNEL: A NUTRIENT POWERHOUSE! 1 raw fennel bulb: 73 calories, 0.5 gms of fat, 0 cholesterol, 2.9 gms of protein, 17 gms of carbohydrate and 7 gms of dietary fiber, 27% daily potassium, 5% sodium, 6% Vitamin A, 11% calcium, 46% Vitamin C, 9% iron, 5% Vitamin B6 and 10% magnesium. Also contains phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, choline, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Check out another great Vegan American Princess recipe: Yams and Fennel…A Winning Combination!