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Meatless Monday: Fresh Fennel & Avocado Salad

Every Thursday I pick up our CSA farm share box and can’t wait to see all the goodies waiting inside for us.  This week we had some amazing fresh veggies and herbs that go so well together and make for a perfect, quick and easy no-cook meal in the sweltering heat of summer.

Vegetables from each color of the rainbow contain unique pigment based phytonutrients.  Red cabbage is also a member of the cruciferous vegetable family which boasts nutrients to help the liver with natural detoxification process.  Fennel provides potassium and a phytonutrient called anethole, which in research has demonstrated important health promoting properties like reducing inflammation.  Like the orange in this salad, fennel also contains the important antioxidant, vitamin C.

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 1/4 cup fennel, sliced
  • 1 small wedge red cabbage
  • 1/2 orange, sections
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 1/2 cups lettuce

Dressing (this will make enough for 4 servings):

  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tsp honey
  • juice from 1/2 lemon
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

To assemble salad…

  1. Wash fennel, cabbage, basil, lettuce.
  2. Slice fennel into thin slices (I used a mandolin).
  3. Slice cabbage into thin slices.
  4. Peel orange and separate into sections.  Remove white pith.
  5. Cut avocado in half.  Remove flesh with a spoon then slice.  Save other half with pit in the refrigerator.
  6. Chop lettuce and add to bowl.
  7. Arrange cabbage, fennel, orange and avocado slices.

To make dressing…

  1. Place basil leaves into blender or food processor.
  2. Chop garlic and add to blender.
  3. Add honey, olive oil and vinegar to blender.
  4. Squeeze lemon juice into blender.
  5. Add salt and pepper to blender.
  6. Blend well.
  7. Spoon about 2 tbsp of dressing onto salad.  Save remainder of dressing in the refrigerator.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1

Substitutions

  • Red cabbage – green cabbage
  • Fennel – ginger
  • Oranges – grapefruit
  • Avocado – zucchini
  • Honey – pure maple syrup

Calories: 430

Fat: 29g

Trans Fat: 4g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 115mg

Carbohydrates: 43g

Fiber: 17g

Sugars: 18g

Protein: 9g