I’m not sure why it took me well into January, but I’ve just now arrived at being done with celebrating the holidays with sugary treats I typically avoid, and reserve mostly for special occasions. Well, I can’t blame it totally on the holidays, it’s also the cold weather. I don’t feel as energetic and healthy as I do in the warmer months and in some ways I just kind of take a break. But that break eventually turns into something other than a positive thing – it results in feeling a little sluggish and a few pounds heavier.
So I made a 30-day commitment to re-group and get back to my healthy eating patterns. That means for the upcoming weeks I’ll only eat the healthy and delicious stuff I love that I also call “feel good” foods.
So to kick things off, I made this awesome salad that was sort of like eating a dish of crunchy summer. It truly was uplifting. Like with any soup or salad, you can make your own swaps and additions, but this is a very good combination of flavors and textures.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 stalk fresh fennel, thinly sliced (remove outer layer and use just the bulb)
1 pink grapefruit, skin and pith removed with knife and sliced in segments. (see image below)
1 large orange (I used Cara Cara and they were delicious), skin and pith removed with knife and sliced in segments.
Note – reserve the juice of the grapefruit and orange by squeezing what’s left over after slicing.
1/4 cup, peeled and shaved korean radish (found in most asian stores)
1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed
1/8 cup or more of shaved pecorino romano cheese (or parmigiano
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
a few squirts red wine vinegar
4 fresh basil leaves
kosher salt ground pepper
optional – walnuts or pine nuts for garnish
Preparation
Place oranges, grapefruit, fennel and radish in mixing bowl and lightly toss with thongs or hands. In a small food processor or blender, add the citrus juice, including the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, basil leaves, salt and pepper if desired. Pulse briefly until well blended and you can see only bits of basil.
Drizzle dressing over the salad, toss lightly, and top with the cheese (and nuts if you like).
Serving Suggestion: This delightful salad can be served alone with whole grain bread, as a side salad, or anytime you feel like eating a plate of sunshine. : )
Enjoy!
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