Apple Fennel and Arugula Salad
Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! While Doug may not be as enthusiastic about birthday celebrations as I am, he still let me organize a little get together tonight to toast him. If I had my way we would be having much more of a party (perhaps involving ice-skating?) but it is his birthday after all so I (against my will) respected his wishes to keep things very low key. Doug's real birthday wish was to spend the weekend with me and Maddy in Boston seeing a Celtics game, walking around the North End and watching football in his favorite Boston sports bars so tomorrow morning we are packing up the car and heading north. It is always special for us to spend time in the city where we first met (11 years ago!!!), especially for a romantic pre-Christmas/Birthday weekend. I love trips that involve car travel instead of airplanes, as they tend to be much less stressful! After the weekend we will head to his parents house in upstate New York to celebrate Christmas as we do each year.
For Christmas Eve dinner this year Doug's mother asked for some suggestions for new, healthy recipes to include in the meal. It was very hard to limit myself to just a few ideas! For a healthful holiday dinner my favorite dishes are Cauliflower Puree, Curried Cauliflower with Pomegranate, and Truffle Roasted Brussels Sprouts. All of these dishes are easy to prepare, crowd pleasing, and compliment any holiday table. On top of these favorites I also wanted to send along a salad suggestion that felt both hearty and festive. Somehow a normal green salad just doesn't seem right on Christmas Eve! This Apple Fennel and Arugula Salad has a nice balance of spicy and sweet with a lovely added crunch from the pumpkin seeds.. The extra dose of zinc that pumpkin seeds provide is an added bonus! If you have never used umeboshi plum vinegar I urge you to give it a try. Easily found in the Asian section of most markets it adds an extra dimension of "umami" to this dressing. Don't stress if you don't have any on hand, any type of vinegar works great here!
Happy Holidays!
Apple Fennel and Arugula Salad
- 1 medium Pink Lady apple diced
- 1/2 of a head of fennel shaved on a mandolin
- 2 cups of arugula
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 T umeboshi plum vinegar
- Toss the diced apples and shaved fennel w/ olive oil, lemon and umebishi
- Allow apple and fennel mixture to marinate in refridgerator for about 30 minutes.
- Place a handful of arugula on plate and top with apple/fennel mixture.
