There is a secret I want to share. Fennel helps my recipes carry a spicy taste and gives a sweet-smelling kick to many dishes, including this 5-ingredient lettuce-free salad. We don’t call Salt and Pepper as ingredients in here.
What does fennel taste like? I think the chefs are right; it does have a bit of licorice flavor-but it’s not off-putting. It’s got mild hints of dill, and I would best call it a connoisseur version of celery. Like all vegetables, fennel is also highly nutritious. One serving will give you a decent dose of potassium and anti-aging vitamin C plus a bit of calcium.
As for my 5-ingredient (plus pepper and salt!) salad, this is one of those “impress the guests” kind of salad recipe because
- It looks unusually beautiful.
- It’s not another tedious bowl of ugly lettuce leaves. I particularly like how easy it is to prepare! If you can boil water and chop you can make this easy healthy whole foods recipe. Nothing to it. Promise.
Ingredients
- Two finely tripped fennel bulbs
- 1 thinly sliced Granny Smith apple (cut it lengthwise)
- 3 cups of green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2 1/4 inch pieces
- Juice from 1.5 lemon
- 1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper and Sea salt, to taste
Procedure
- Prepare a nice long ice bath that could help cool down things.
- Bring a wide pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add green beans and cook for around 4 minutes.
- Add fennel and cook an additional two minutes.
- Drain fennel and green beans and immediately plunge into an ice bath. Let vegetables sit in ice water for five minutes. Drain.
- Transfer fennel and green beans to a large serving bowl. Pat the vegetables dry with clean paper towels.
- Add the lengthwise cut apple slices.
- Drizzle oil and the lemon juice on top. Keep Tossing to coat.
- Season lightly with pepper and salt to taste.
Serve at room temperature.
