As you enjoy your freshly brewed coffee, there are a wide variety of ways to customize it for your own personal taste. From milk and sugar (or an artificial sweetener) to flavored coffees and creamers, there are endless possibilities! Experiment with adding spices or extracts like vanilla or cinnamon, replacing milk with cream or changing up the type of sugar you add. You can also vary the strength of your brew by adding more or less coffee grounds if desired.
The options don’t end here. For the daring at heart, try a cold brew! This method involves steeping coarsely ground beans in cold water to produce a smooth but slightly bitter coffee concentrate. Or make a pour over coffee where you manually drip hot water over medium ground beans that have been placed in a paper filter on top of your mug.
Ingredients
For this refreshing strawberry and fennel salad, you will need the following ingredients:
- 4 cups of sliced strawberries
- 1 large fennel bulb
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Once you have gathered all the necessary ingredients, you can start prepping the salad.
Fennel
Fennel or Foeniculum vulgare is a bulbous vegetable that resembles a white, oversized onion. It has a subtle licorice flavor and is often used as an ingredient in salads, soups, stews, and side dishes. Fennel can be eaten both raw and cooked. When its feathery fronds are included in the dish it adds an attractive contrast of color with its bright green hue.
Fennel is rich in vitamins B6 and C, as well as dietary fiber, potassium and manganese. It also contains fatty acids that are helpful in reducing cholesterol levels.
When preparing fennel for recipes such as this Strawberry and Fennel Salad make sure to remove the tough inner parts of the bulb before adding it to the dish. If a recipe calls for raw fennel make sure to slice it into very thin strips for maximum flavor dispersal during consumption.
Strawberries
Strawberries are a vibrant and flavorful ingredient that can add color, texture, sweetness and zing to many dishes. For this recipe, fresh strawberries will retain their flavor better than frozen or canned varieties. When selecting strawberries for this dish, choose ones that are bright red in color and have firm, plump skin. Fresh strawberries also have a fragrant aroma – so make sure to use your nose as well! Avoid bruised or discolored berries for this salad as they won’t taste as good.
Just before adding the berries to the salad, it is best to wash them first with cold water and dry them on kitchen paper towels. Soak off any hulls (i.e., the green “cap” at the end of each strawberry) to avoid any unpleasant flavors in your finished dish.
Olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is frequently used in cooking, and it’s also an important ingredient in many types of soap and cosmetics.
Extra virgin olive oil has a greater proportion of natural vitamining and minerals, such as vitamins E and K and essential fatty acids, than other types of olive oil such as pure or light varieties. For this recipe in particular, extra virgin olive oil is preferred for its deep fruity flavor it adds, which balances out the sweetness from the strawberries. The higher quality of extra virgin olive oil also adds in more antioxidants. When added to salads like this one, it can help keep us healthy by boosting our body’s natural defense against diseases.
Balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar is a type of vinegar made from white or red Trebbiano grape juice that is aged between 8 and 20 years in a series of wooden barrels. Caramelized sugar, which gives the vinegar its distinctive sharp, sweet flavor, is added to some balsamic vinegars. This type of vinegar adds interest, sweetness and tanginess to recipes such as marinades, vinaigrettes, sauces and reductions. It’s an ideal accent for this Strawberry and Fennel Salad, adding flavor complexity while highlighting the natural sweetness of the ingredients.
Balsamic vinegars are readily available in grocery stores and vary in both cost and taste.
Salt and pepper
Adding the right amount of salt and pepper to recipes is an important part of cooking; it can make or break the flavor of the dish. For this salad, salt and pepper should not be added until after all of the other ingredients have been combined.
To add salt and pepper, use a pinch of each seasoning at a time, tasting as you go until you reach your desired flavor. Too much salt or pepper can easily ruin a dish, so be sure to err on the side of caution and add small amounts at a time. The desired outcome is to bring out the flavors that are already present in the recipe without overpowering them.
Once you’ve achieved that perfect balance, your strawberry and fennel salad will be complete!
Preparation
In order to make a delicious strawberry and fennel salad, you will need to gather the following ingredients: fresh strawberries, fennel bulb, fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt.
Once you have all of these ingredients, you can begin preparing the salad. Start by cutting the fennel bulb into thin slices. Then, dice up the strawberries and add them to the fennel slices. You can then proceed to the next step of preparing the salad.
Wash and slice the fennel
To begin preparing the Strawberry and Fennel Salad, take the fennel and carefully rinse off any dirt with cold water. Slice off the stalky top of the fennel, just above where it starts to fan out. Cut each bulb in half lengthwise, stirring to make sure you’ve gotten rid of any residual bacteria.
Once cut in half, you can either go ahead and slice it into thin slices or cut it into thicker chunks as desired for your salad. Lastly, set aside all remaining pieces of fennel that you won’t be using for salad preparation and store them in an airtight container for later use.
Wash and slice the strawberries
Wash and slice the strawberries –
- Rinse the strawberries under cold running water to clean them. Discard any mushy or bad-looking berries.
- Slice off the green tops, then slice each strawberry into thin tabs.
- Place the prepared strawberries into a large bowl and set aside to be used later in the recipe.
Combine the fennel and strawberries in a bowl
In a medium bowl, combine the thinly sliced fennel, fresh strawberries and crumbled feta cheese. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, then toss to combine.
For an added flavor profile, you can also add one teaspoon of honey or a splash of white wine vinegar to the salad. Once the ingredients are combined in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before serving. This allows time for the flavors marry as well as tenderizing the fennel slightly.
Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad
To create this delicious and healthy Strawberry and Fennel Salad, you need to start by gathering a few ingredients. Begin by washing the strawberries, fennel and spinach leaves. Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and cut the fennel into thin slices. Add them to the bowl with the spinach leaves.
Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and sea salt until they are perfectly combined. Pour the mixture over the salad ingredients in the first bowl. Thoroughly mix everything together until everything is well-coated with the dressing.
Finally, drizzle a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar over top of your salad. Add freshly ground black pepper and some crumbled feta cheese for an extra touch of flavor (optional). Serve immediately or store it in an airtight container for up to 8 hours to preserve freshness! Enjoy!
Add salt and pepper to taste
Before serving the salad, season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. The flavoring should be balanced, so add a pinch of salt and a slight turn of your pepper mill. Test as you go until you reach the desired preference. The best way to ensure this is by taking a leaf of the salad mix, adding the recommended seasoning and tasting it for flavor. By making sure each bite is properly seasoned, you’ll enjoy this sweet spinach fruit salad with fennel even more!
Serving
This refreshing Strawberry and Fennel Salad is perfect for a light lunch or as a side dish. The combination of sweet and tart strawberries, crunchy fennel, and zesty citrus make for a delicious, healthy, and vegan-friendly salad. Serve this salad over a bed of fresh greens for a complete meal. You can also top it with some chopped walnuts for added crunch.
Let’s get into the details of how to serve this flavorful salad:
Serve the salad as a side dish or as a light meal
Serve the salad as a side dish or as a light meal by adding cooked quinoa, roasted diced potatoes, cooked chicken or turkey, halloumi cheese slices or roasted chickpeas. To serve the salad as a light meal, it is recommended that you add proteins and grains to increase the nutritional content of the meal. If serving as a side dish or appetizer, you may not need to add any additional ingredients.
The strawberry and fennel salad pairs nicely with grilled fish such as whole branzino, grilled salmon fillets or shrimp skewers. It even works well with hard-cooked eggs for breakfast or brunch. Finally, if desired, garnish with a sprinkle of chopped herbs such as dill, mint leaves and chives to brighten up the flavor of your salad even further.
No matter which way you choose to enjoy your freshly brewed cup of joe, remember that quality is key! The perfect cup starts with finding just the right roast that best suits your individual preference and ensuring that it is properly brewed. So don’t let anyone tell you differently – Enjoy!