Holiday Hang-On

The holidays are behind us and it is time to bid farewell to my daily indulgence of christmas cookies.  While the decadent dinners and mandatory desserts have to go, there are some holiday favorites that I will hang on to in the new year.  This fennel salad is one my holiday favorites and it is a great addition to any meal in these cold winter months. Not to mention, it is exceptionally easy to prepare.

I never tried fennel until I got to college.  One of my best friend's mothers told us we needed to eat it because it would help cleanse our livers from all our drinking.  True or not, fennel does have a crisp, cleansing appeal that makes it a wonderful compliment to most of the savory dishes served in the winter.  The fennel is paired with tart bites of pomegranate and sweet splashes of citrus.

In the winter months, you can find delicious varieties of citrus to choose from- satsuma, tangerine, blood orange and mandarin oranges will all work wonderfully.

Fennel with Pomegranate and Orange

Serves 6-8

1 bulb of fennel

1 orange (2 if using a smaller fruit like tangerines)

1/2-3/4 cup of pomegranate seeds

1 tablespoon Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Sea salt to taste 

Clean and slice the fennel.  Cut 1/4 of the orange and set aside for later use.  Peel the rest of the orange and slice into bite size pieces.  Add the pomegranate seeds.  Drizzle olive oil and squeeze the juice from the remaining orange slice (1-2 tablespoons).  Season with salt to taste. Toss well and allow the flavors to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Enjoy :)

What makes this bite better?

Pomegranates are known for their antioxidant power and are a great addition to any dish.  Citrus is an excellent dietary source of Vitamin C.  During winter months, when cold and flu season are at their peak, the extra burst of Vitamin C provided by this salad could come in quite handy.