Fennel Salad

I used fennel for the first time last year in a salad, and loved it. It's light, crisp and tastes like licorice. There are lots of great variations on this. Basically fennel pairs well with any kind of greens and tart fruit. You can use apples in addition to, or in place of, orange. You can also add walnuts or pecans and dried cranberries to make it a heartier salad.

Ingredients:

- I bulb fennel

- 1 red onion

- 2 oranges, peeled and sliced

- 4-6 cups baby greens

- 1 tb olive oil and 1 tsp white wine vinegar

- dash of salt, pepper

Preparation:

- Cut off the feathery tops and base of the fennel bulb (you can reserve the feathery parts for garnish if you want)

- Slice the fennel and onion very thinly

- Combine with orange slices

- Mix olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings

- Serve everything over greens

- Enjoy!

Sarah's Persian Cucumber Salad

cross posted from two heads of lettuce

Here is an alternative recipe for cucumber salad:

drain 2 cups yogurt overnight (if you have time, I often skipped this step - it just makes the salad less watery)

peel, seed, and dice 1 cucumber (you can keep the seeds- but again its waterier)
salt lightly and let drain of excess juice in a colander (this step too can be skipped or shortened, but again will make the salad more watery)

Combine along with
juice of 1/2 a lemon
handful of golden raisins (dried cherries are awesome too, if you have them on hand)
dash of rose water (you might want to measure out a teaspoon til you get a feel for it - too much is strange!)
small handful of chopped walnuts
small bunch (a tablespoon or so) of chopped mint
salt and pepper (preferably white) to taste

another cucumber salad:
chop cucumbers (optional- drain them like above recipe)
yogurt (again- drained is optional)
1 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup dried dill (1/3 cup fresh)
1/2 squeezed fresh lemon (using fresh is important)
cashews or walnut- optional
salt and pepper to taste

mix together for a great and refreshing quick salad!