Foodist Approved: Fennel and Pear Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette by Elyse Kopecky | I’m ready to say goodbye to soup, stews and roasted vegetables. Now that the days are getting longer and warmer, I’ve been craving refreshing salads. But I find it a challenge to shop this time of year. Our bodies are asking for new revitalizing foods, but summer’s alluring produce still seems far off. Don’t be tempted to buy artificially ripened tomatoes or strawberries from far-off places, instead embrace salads that celebrate winter vegetables. I’ve made this fennel and pear salad for just about every get-together I’ve been to in the last month. It’s rare that a salad gets the limelight at a dinner party but this simple, yet sophisticated, salad always does just that. I recommend making a large batch of the red wine vinaigrette to have on hand all week (this recipe makes enough for 2-3 family size salads). It pairs perfectly with any type of salad and stores well in the fridge. 

If you prefer, you can cut the vinaigrette recipe below in half and that will be plenty for this dish. I hope you enjoy, and let me know if this becomes your new favorite end-of-winter salad! Fennel and Pear Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrettebest very dry red wine Yield: 4 – 6 servingsbest wine from mexico 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, coredbest wine bars east side 1 Anjou pear (or other firm variety), halved, coredgood dry white wine cheap 2 celery stalks, trimmedglass of wine fitness 1/2 cup ricotta salata (or parmesan or feta), crumbledbest wine bars australia

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped fresh ground black pepper 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (high quality) 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1 T stone ground mustard 1 T Dijon mustard Put all the dressing ingredients in a glass mason jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine. best wine italian or french Thinly slice the fennel, pear and celery (a mandoline works best for this) and place in a large salad bowl. best deals on wine coolersAdd the walnuts, ricotta salata and a few grinds of black pepper. best 2012 wines to ageToss with 1/4 to 1/2 of the dressing above. Taste and add more dressing if needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Elyse Kopecky is a social media and digital technology consultant based in Portland, OR.

After 10 years working for NIKE and EA SPORTS in Portland, Amsterdam and Geneva she briefly left her desk job for the chance to study culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. Tags: fennel, salad, vegetarian, Winter What do you think?Our family has a Friday night tradition: pizza. Along with our pizza we usually enjoy a big green salad with lots of great veggies and my favorite homemade dressing.  Once you experience homemade dressing going back to the store-bought bottle of “salad dressing” is not an option. On this relaxing, celebratory Friday night of cheese pizza and a big salad, let’s make a jar of homemade dressing. This dressing can be stored in the fridge lasting at least a month. extra virgin olive oil Recipe adapted from Food to Live By by Myra Goodman If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #LIVESIMPLYBLOG. I'd love to see what you make! My Free Crash Courses Subscribe to download the Courses

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. If you’re on Whole30, chances are you’ll be eating at least a few salads. Dry salads are no fun, but with Whole30, the vast majority of store bought salad dressings are out. The good news is that you can make your very own Whole30 salad dressings to taste upgrade your salads! Here are a few of the most popular Whole30 salad dressing recipes! Recipe found via Whole30 website. Place the egg, red wine vinegar, spices and herbs (everything but the coconut milk) in the food processor. Pulse a few times. Next, measure out the oil and very slowly pour the oil into the top of food processor (running on low speed) or into however you are mixing the dressing. Once all the oil has been added in, add the coconut milk and pulse a few more times.

This recipe comes from Instagram user @healthfest and was found on the Whole30 website. Mix the two milks together with the lemon juice. Put everything else in the blender or food processor and blend, adding the milk combination slowly. Pour into a jar and let sit in the fridge for an hour or two before using so the flavors can blend. Combine olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover tightly with the lid and shake vigorously until thickened, about 2 minutes. Taste dressing and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Recipe found via Instagram user @planksloveandguacamole on the Whole3o website. Instructions: Food process or blend all ingredients until smooth. Recipe via Life Made Full Instructions: Combine ingredients and stir. This recipe found via Paleo Leap. Prick the chilies with the tip of a knife so they don’t burst while roasting. Place them under the broiler until well roasted.