As the days are getting brighter, springtime brings temperatures that are fluctuate between snowy 32, rainy 45 and beautiful sunshine filled 75. This silly weather has my cravings also going from braised dishes to cold noodles to fresh salads. And this salad does not disappoint!

Fennel has long been one of my favorite vegetables. It’s super crunchy, bright and really good for digestion. It’s a classic Italian vegetable that can be eaten raw, roasted, sauteed, braised, so many ways. But I think the way for its flavor to really shine is in a salad, simply dressed with olive oil and some acid. Its sweetness comes out and it is so crunchy, just a fun vegetable to play with!

Pair that with some seasonal citrus and creamy avocado and you have seriously a beautiful salad that will take you all of 15 minutes to put together. Want to add some protein? White beans are lovely or shrimp if you can eat shellfish. It’s also a fantastic side salad for a piece of chicken. If you can eat nuts, definitely top this with some pistachios. Can you eat dairy? Some goat cheese is a nice addition here as well!

However you decided to enjoy it will certainly help warm up those temperatures and bring some sunshine, regardless of what mother nature decides to throw our way this time of the year!

Shaved Fennel and Citrus Salad

Free From Top-9, AIP Compliant, Vegan

Serves: 3-4 as a side, 2 as a main

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large fennel bulb
• 2 oranges
• 2 blood oranges
• 2 avocados
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• *you might need some apple cider or white balsamic vinegar depending on how much additional orange juice you get out
• flaky sea salt and cracked pepper
• Optional ingredients as noted above: goat cheese, dairy free soft cheese, pistachios, chicken, shrimp-depending on your allergies and preferences

Directions

1. Separate some of the fluffy fronds off the shoots of the fennel and put to the side.
2. Shave a bit off the bottom of the fennel to remove the thick core. Carefully shave on a mandolin or slice thinly with a knife. Put the fennel into a large bowl and set aside.
3. For the regular oranges, slice the outside peel off using your knife and following the curve of the orange. If you’d like to supreme the segments then use a small knife to cut the supremes from between the white pith of the orange bulb. Squeeze the remaining bulb into a small bowl to get all the juice out. Discard the bulb. (**OR just cut the outside off and slice across the segments to make it easier!)
4. For the blood orange, slice the outside peel off as well but then cut the orange into slices (going across the segments) for a different look and texture than the regular orange.
5. Cut the avocado into wedges.
6. Mix together the reserved orange juice and olive oil (or adding 2-3 Tablespoons of vinegar if you didn’t get orange juice).
7. Layer the fennel, orange supremes (or slices), blood orange slices and avocado wedges until you’ve used it all up. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper!

Happy Foods are the Best Foods!