Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 small fennel bulb, cleaned and sliced
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons fennel seeds, ground
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups water
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
2. Add the sliced fennel, garlic and sliced carrots.
3. Saute the vegetables until they begin to soften.
4. Add the water, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds.
5. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a soft simmer.
6. Cook the soup until the vegetables are soft (about 15-20 Minutes).
7. Add the orange juice and puree the soup to a smooth creamy consistency.
8. Season to taste with additional, salt, pepper or fennel.
9. We garnished the soup with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and fennel seeds.

The recipe is from the new cookbook “Salad as a Meal – Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season” by Patricia Wells (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2011). Of course, we adapted the salad dressing to be vegan by using soy yogurt instead of cream. It was a delicious salad that we really enjoyed. It looks like this is just the end of the fresh asparagus season, perhaps you still can get some nice fresh asparagus, if so do give this salad a try.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of vegetable juice, chilled
• 1 clove garlic minced
• dash onion salt
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, ground
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 fennel bulb,
• 2 cobs fresh corn, corn cut off the cob
• dash Tabasco
• pinch salt
• dash cumin (optional)
• splash of lime juice (optional)
• fennel fronds and ground fennel seeds as garnish

License this image

Directions:

1. Put the chilled vegetable juice in a large bowl.
2. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the vegetable juice.
3. Remove the outer leaves of the fennel and finely slice the rest of the fennel, reserve a few fronds as garnish.
4. Grind the fennel seeds.
5. Add most to the juice, reserving a little as garnish.
6. Mince the garlic and chop the red bell pepper.
7. Add to the juice.
8. Season to taste with lime juice, cumin, Tabasco and a pinch of salt.
9. Ladle the soup into bowls or glasses and serve garnished with the fennel fronds.

Note:
Most store-bought juice has been pasteurized and is therefore not strictly raw. The best way to get unpasteurized juice is to juice it yourself or get it fresh at a juice bar.

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed wild and white rice
• 1 eggplant, cut in small pieces and sauteed
• 1 zucchini, cut into matchstick sized pieces
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced in rings
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and cut into small pieces
• 10-12 green olives, deseeded
• 10-12 black olives, deseeded
• 1 cup vegetable bouillon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbs. parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped
• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• 2-3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• small bunch dill, chopped as garnish

Directions:

1. Wash the rice and cook in 1 cup of vegetbale bouillon and 1 cup of water.
2. When the rice is done, put it into a large bowl and allow to cool.
3. Cut the eggplant into small cubes and saute lightly.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
5. When cooled, add the eggplant to the rice.
6. Slice the zuchiini into small matchsticks and add to the rice.
7. Cut off the bottom core of the fennel and slice the fennel in thin slices, then add to the rice and mix well.
8. Add the black and green olives.
9. Add the chopped basil and parsley.
10. Using a blender, make a dressig from the olive oil, garlic, salt pepper and lemon juice.
11. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.
12. Allow the salad to season for an hour before serving.
13. Shortly befor serving, slice and desssed the tomato and add to the salad.
14. Garnish with some chopped dill and a few dill sprigs.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. oil
• 1/2 lb. seitan (wheat gluten) pieces
• 3-4 spring onions, chopped
• 4-5 stalks bok choy
• 1 med. zucchini, sliced in matchstick pieces
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 Tbs. vegetable bouillon seasoning or cube
• 2 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. fennel seed, freshly ground
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Slice the zucchini in very thin matchstick pieces.
2. Cut the bok choy in bite sized pieces.
3. Chop the spring onion in small pieces.
4. Grind the fennel seed. (I use a coffee grinder)
5. Make a sauce from the water, the white wine, the tamari, the vegetable bouillon, and the cornstarch.
6. Mix well to dissolve the cornstarch.
7. Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok.
8. Saute the spring onions.
9. Add the ground fennel seeds
10. Add the zucchini strips, and bok choy and lightly saute.
11. Add the sauce and cook until the sauce begins to thicken and becomes translucent.
12. Add the seitan pieces.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
14. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Notes:

adapted from http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/veg-4000.html

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 3 baby fennel bulbs, chopped
• 1 Tbs. fennel seeds, ground
• 600ml ml vegetable stock (1 pint)
• 100 grams baby spinach (3 1/2 oz), washed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon natural yogurt, to serve
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft.
2. Add the chopped fennel and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the fennel is tender.
3. Add the spinach to the pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for a further minute, then process with a hand-held blender until smooth.
4. To serve, pour into a bowl and garnish with yoghurt and a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Notes:

Inspired by Chef Nick Nairn of BBC cooking Ready Steady Cook

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 med. large beets, cleaned, peeled cooked
• 2 med. oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1 med. fennel bulb

for the dressing:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 3 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. fennel seeds, freshly ground
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. agave syrup
• salt

Directions:

1. Peel the oranges and cut them into segments.
2. Slice the cooked beets in fine circles.
3. Clean the fennel and cut of the bottom part of the bulb.
4. Slice the fennel in very thin slices or shavings.

Make the salad dressing.

1. Using a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder, grind the fennel seeds.
2. Mix the salad dressing ingredients together and mix well.
3. Assemble the salad by placing beets oranges and fennel decoratively on a plate.
4. Drizzle the dressing over and optionally garnish with fennel leaves.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, ground
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb, quartered, cored & coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 cups vegetable bouillon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 medium celery root, peeled & coarsely chopped
• 2 medium potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Set aside the feathery fronds from 1 fennel bulb to use as a garnish for each bowl.
2. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat; add the ground fennel seeds, chopped fennel bulb, celery and onion, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened.
3. Add the vegetable bouillon potato, thyme and garlic.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft.
5. Puree soup in food processor or blender, and return to pot.
6. Thin with the white wine and season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
7. Garnish with fennel leaves and croutons.

Notes:

Adapted from http://www.ivu.org/recipes/soup/creamy-fennel.html

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1&1/2 lb fresh fava beans in shells (will yield 3/4 cup shelled)
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 fresh fennel bulb trimmed, sliced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds coarsely ground with a spice grinder
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• splash fresh lemon juice
• salt to taste
• freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook fava beans in boiling salted water 2 minutes.
2. Drain, cool and peel outer skins.
3. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add fennel slices; saute 5 minutes.
5. Add favas and fennel seeds; saute 3 minutes.
6. Add 1 cup broth and bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.
8. Simmer until favas are tender, about 5 minutes longer.
9. Mix in lemon juice.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.

After looking through the ingredients, I realized it would easily convert to being a nice vegan salad. We tried it tonight, merely changing the Parmesan to soy cheese and were very pleased. I do agree with her suggestion, next time I will add very thin slices of pears. It’s one of the nicest ways to enjoy fennel, shaving it thinly makes the difference.