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With spring finally here I want to dive into salads. There is something about the warm weather that makes us want to eat cold, crisp foods. Last year I used fennel for the first time in a fennel, apple and chicken salad. Fennel wasn’t the star of that salad; it was more of a complimentary character. So, since a year has passed, I figured it was time I gave fennel a staring role in one of our meals. Since I enjoyed the combination of fennel and apple so much before, I searched out a recipe with those two ingredients. Here is the result of that search.

Jamie and I actually went searching for fennel recipes at different times, but we both thought this one would be the perfect starting point. It is nice to think that we are in sync 🙂

This recipe is from the Epicurious site. I have used recipes from this site before. I still rave about how great the coconut cream pie turned out, and I found the recipe on Epicurious. Now that I have jumped into the world of the Smartphone, their app was one of the first that I downloaded.

This recipe appealed to me, because it is coleslaw. I am a huge fan of coleslaw. My favourite (and don’t judge me on this) is Dixie coleslaw. You know the one, it is fluorescent green and you can buy it by the gallon at the deli counter. I don’t know why, but there is something about that coleslaw that I find mildly addicting. Hmmm, I wonder if I can make that at home? I have never tried, but now I think I have found a summer project.

Another reason I wanted to make this was because it was a great excuse to bust out the mandoline that we received as a wedding gift. I haven’t used it as much as I thought I would, but with the ingredient list calling for thinly sliced fennel, celery and julienned apples, it was the perfect opportunity.

The difficult part about making this dish is the waiting. Oh, and making sure that all the thinly sliced ingredients make it into the bowl! 😉 Is there anything more appetizing that thinly sliced fruits and vegetables that provide a satisfactory crunch? If you can wait 24 hours, this coleslaw is the perfect marriage of summer flavours. Jamie and I served it with some homemade sausage patties and devilled eggs. A little taste of summer in the middle of spring. Awesome!

Do you have a favourite coleslaw recipe? Or a summer-time guilty pleasure that compares to my Dixie coleslaw addiction?

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Adapted from:
Epicurious – Celery, Apple and Fennel Slaw

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp white sugar
• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced using mandoline
• 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced using mandoline
• 1 tbsp chopped fennel fronds
• 1 firm, crisp apple (I used Fuji), julienned
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to make your coleslaw dressing.
2. Add sliced celery, thinly sliced fennel, chopped fennel fronds, and julienned apple; toss to coat.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Let sit in fridge overnight to allow flavours to combine.
5. Enjoy!