A Gorgeous Winter Salad of Beetroot, Fennel and Apple
It may seem strange that after several posts on soup to warm up your bones, I am now writing about eating salad in the middle of winter!
However this salad is just delicious and really highlights these fabulous and incredibly healthy seasonal vegetables and fruit.
We were in Melbourne recently catching up with friends and I helped to make this salad while everybody else was making sausages.
The thing I found most interesting in the recipe is that all of the fennel was used. Normally recipes tell you use only the bottom bulb and throw away the stalks. The fronds can be reserved for garnishing, but usually there is a lot of them so some get tossed as well.
The fennel I used was a smallish one, which may mean the stalks are a bit softer and sweeter, but they were just lovely in the salad. I have always hated throwing away the tops in the past, so this discovery was just wonderful and I certainly won’t be throwing them away any more!
This is an incredibly healthy salad, quite filling and an added bonus that it is delicious too.
Fennel is a good source of fibre, folate and potassium (all important for cardiovascular and bowel health), Vitamin C (anti-microbial properties which support immune health, perfect for Winter) and contains many phytonutrients with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.
Beetroots are also an excellent source of fibre, folate and potassium, and they contain Vitamin C and iron. Beetroots have phytonutrients that have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support and also have anti-cancer effects.
Radishes are a cruciferous vegetable (also known as brassicas) which are rich in nutrients, including several carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin), vitamins C, E, and K, folate and minerals and well known for their anti-cancer properties. Many health agencies recommend that we need to eat several servings per week of cruciferous vegetables to maximise our health.
Apples are an excellent source of fibre and Vitamin C and contain many antioxidants, most of which are in the skin, so don’t peel them! Eating apples has been linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and dementia.
I encourage you to make this delicious and nutritious salad which helped to balance out the hand-crafted sausages that were served with it (except I was spoilt and had barbecued salmon!)
- 3 medium beetroot
- 1 medium fennel
- 2 pink lady apples
- 4 small radishes
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
- Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- Start by boiling the beetroot for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool, then peel and slice.
- Meanwhile, prepare all the other ingredients.
- Finely slice fennel bulb, stalks and fronds, leaving a few fronds aside to garnish.
- Add sliced fennel to serving bowl.
- Finely slice apples and radishes and add to bowl.
- Sprinkle over torn mint leaves.
- For the dressing, add oil, vinegar, honey and mustard to a jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Shake well.
- Pour over salad ingredients (except beetroot) and toss to coat.
- When the beetroot is ready, add, mix gently and serve.
Per Serve: 537kJ or 128 calories; P 1.4g Fat 6g SFat 0.8g CHO 15g Fibre 3.5g
Based on a recipe from The Global Vegetarian Kitchen
