Fennel and Clementine Salad With Lemon Garlic Dressing

Since it's getting warmer outside, I've been craving more and more raw, fresh food instead of hearty warm dishes. The result? Salads galore. I usually have pretty much the same salad during the week- a combo of dark greens, mixed veggies and cottage cheese for protein. Even though I love this salad, I decided it was time to switch it up and make something a little more gourmet. I decided that fennel was the way to go. 

I love the taste of fennel. It's similar to black licorice, with a sweet flavor that is great raw or cooked. I thought that it would go especially well with tangy and sweet clementines topped with an acidic splash of lemon combined with savory garlic. 

Fennel and Clementine Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing

By Caroline Mac

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 bulb of fennel, outer layer peeled and thinly sliced, some greens reserved for garnish

Approx. 1 cup salad greens of choice (I used Trader Joe's Power Greens)

1 clementine, peeled and broken into sections

1 t olive oil

1/2 t lemon juice

1/2 t apple cider vinegar

1/4 t minced garlic

1/8 t ground black pepper

1/8 t Penzey's Trinidad Lemon Garlic seasoning (You can use a combination of lemon pepper and garlic powder as well)

Step 1: Spread greens across the bottom of your dish to create a bed of lettuce.

Step 2: Place clementine sections around the edge of the greens. Create a tower of fennel in the center.

Step 3: Whisk oil, lemon, vinegar, garlic, and seasoning together until thoroughly blended. Drizzle over  the fennel. Garnish with fennel greens.

Enjoy! 

~Caroline~

Italian-Seasoned Veggie Sauté

I'm always looking for new sources of protein and this week's discovery (though it has been around for a while) was seitan! I had tried a bit of southwestern-style seitan from the Whole Foods salad bar and was immediately hooked. The texture is really great and I discovered that I can buy it in a wide variety of flavors! After proceeding to the refrigerated section of the store, I chose Upton's Naturals Italian-style seitan. Two words: Absolutely delicious. Here's the recipe I chose to incorporate it into!

Italian-Seasoned Spring Sauté
By Caroline Mac
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
2 oz Italian-style seitan, chopped
1/2 c chick peas
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 c sliced white mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Handful of mixed leafy greens (I used Trader Joe's Power Greens)
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 t Penzey's Green Goddess dressing seasoning
Lemon pepper to taste
Splash balsamic vinegar

Step 1: Add olive oil celery, carrots, mushrooms, basil, and garlic to a pan and heat over medium-high heat. Saute mixture until garlic becomes fragrant and veggies begin to tenderize.

Step 2: Add chick peas and seitan and continue stirring until everything becomes heated through. Add Greens, seasoning, and balsamic vinegar and saute until greens become wilted and soft.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

~Caroline~