Diet Variety: Radicchio and Fennel Salad

Our time in D.C. was filled with a lot of eating out. It was fun and we had a lot of good food, but I missed my green smoothies and was definitely feeling weighed down by all of the oil and richness of the restaurant food.

Going into the trip I was expecting I wouldn't feel so great eating out for every meal, so I made sure the days before we left were filled with tons of raw veggies. This radicchio and fennel salad was perfect because the two main ingredients are foods that we rarely eat (well radicchio is often included in our salad mixes, but we eat those less and less lately). I love mixed greens and spinach, but its nice to change things up once in a while.

I keep a draft email with our grocery list and weekly meals. At the bottom I have a list that says "Eat more of these" followed by a bunch of greens and salad things I obviously read in an article a long time ago. Radicchio is on that list, so it must be good for you. Its bright purple color gives a hint that it probably has lots of antioxidants. 

Fennel is a great source of fiber, folate, and vitamin C. We typically only eat it in its seed form, but the bulb is delicious, soft but crunchy, and a little sweet. It was a nice contrast to the bitter radicchio. 

Another great thing about this salad is the radicchio and fennel are hearty enough to stay crunchy and fresh days later, so you can enjoy the leftovers (the lemon in the dressing kept the apple from browning). 

Get the recipe: Radicchio and Fennel Salad with Toasted Pecans

**The recipe says to use a mandolin to slice the fennel "paper thin." We don't own one, so Aaron just sliced it thinly with a knife.