orange-fennel salad with lemon vinaigrette

Coming off a weekend of party food, I am looking forward to lightening up a bit in this week ahead. I made this salad earlier this winter and loved it. It's fresh tasting, brightly colored and super healthy. Best of all, I can make it one day when I have some extra time to cook, and then store it in the fridge. It held up well for 3-4 days, which is always a bonus when we're heading into a busy week!

Fennel-Orange Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

about 8 servings

4 oranges
1-2 large fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds removed
fresh parsley and/ or mint, chopped
juice of 2-3 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Thinly slice the fennel, either by hand or using the slicer blade of a food processor. Cut the peel and the pith (white part) from the oranges, then cut into bite-sized chunks. Chop leaves of fresh parsley or mint. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Then, either using a whisk and bowl (or a blender), combine the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Pour over the salad and mix to combine. Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Here it is in photos for those who like to see the recipes in action...

(The first time I made this I made way too much dressing. I ended up using the rest in a quinoa salad, but it would also be nice drizzled over grilled veggies, fish, shrimp or chicken...)

And I know you have that burning question of whether my kids actually ate this? Sort of. One of them did-- he loves celery and fennel is pretty close in texture. Right now, he's far more adventuresome with his eating, so I didn't hear boo from him other than "this is great!". He's my easy eater these days. My other son tried a bit of fennel and didn't like it at all. Instead of hopping up from the table to make him something else, I simply encouraged him to just eat the oranges out of his salad...