Blood Orange & Fennel Salad

vegan, gluten free, nut free, sugar free, egg free

This recipe first appeared on our iPhone App YogicFoods in 2019

Have you ever been to Italy? Most likely you will think of the pasta and pizza. But there is so much more to Italian cuisine. Think of simple salads that turn into feasts, fresh veggies, juicy red tomatoes and good olive oil. The sweet scent of basil and ripe fruit that fills the air, like the oranges in this Blood Orange & Fennel Salad.

Each part of Italy has its own charm, landscape and cuisine. Our Blood Orange Fennel Salad, is a classic Sicilian salad. And for a good reason, it is so delicious, colorful, tangy and sweet. A real showstopper even if it is just a side dish for your (yogic) pasta or pizza night, for example our Gluten Free Green Pasta with Mint or our Vegan Pizza Verdura available on our YogicFoods Apps

Fennel has such a bright flavor, it is crunchy and a little sweet. It is a perfect match with the soft juicy tangy oranges. Did you know that fennel seeds are a standard after dinner munch in India to give a fresh mouth. But fennel is good for more than just that. Both the seeds and the vegetable aid in digestion and help against inflammation. The blood oranges and red onions (I’m sorry, I only had white onions left when I made the picture…) are full of vitamins and their beautiful colors vibrate well with the deep color of Svadishthana, Sacral Chakra. 

As you know we love to point out what the yogic health benefits are for the ingredients that we use in our recipes. We post the benefits with all the recipes we have in our app. We also map them with a Chakra that would benefit from eating these foods. This way you can choose your dishes based on which Chakra needs strengthening. We explain it all in each one of our 3 (proud to say) YogicFoods Apps.

Here is a little insight into the Yogic Health Benefits of our Blood Orange Fennel Salad:

• Onions are important blood purifiers. They are rich in antioxidants and are very beneficial for the overall health. Onions are known to be a perfect body cleanser.
• Oranges are known for their high vitamin content, but they also function as blood purifiers and eliminate mucus.
• Fennel aids in digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Freshly ground black pepper is a blood purifier. 

I really hope you will enjoy this simple, colorful and inviting salad. It is very easy, fast to prepare and only calls for 3 ingredients plus seasoning. 

Here is how to make it:
Start with washing the a large fennel and cutting off the end. Peel the red onion (you’ll only need half). Then slice both as thinly as you can. You could use a mandolin for this job, just be very careful for your fingers. Place the fennel into a serving bowl. Now peel 3 oranges above a bowl to catch the dripping juice. Slice them thinly or cut between the membranes for clean orange parts and add those to the fennel. Mix the juice drippings with some good organic olive oil (1 tbsp would do) add some salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over the veggies. Gently toss to mix and plate or leave in the serving bowl. Tadaa ready to eat. 

Enjoy this summer salad, my family sure did! 

SatNam and Namaste
Caroline&Gurpreet