BLOG

Fennel: Build A Salad Kids Love To Eat

 Beth Ann
Posted by Beth Ann Bentley on Apr 25 2008
iLunchbox Blog >> Beth Ann

Fennel.  Do you like fennel?  My kids love it.  When we grow it in the garden, they pick off the fronds (feathery leaves) and suck on the stalks.  When they do that, I feel like a great mother.

I know, a dumb connection, but I think to myself, self …look the kids are eating right from the garden and they love fennel because it tastes like licorice.  Then I remember that they know and like the taste of licorice because of all the licorice jellybeans I let them eat at Easter and my “what a great mother I am” bubble pops and reality comes flooding in.  Reality is great too!  Life is great!  But back to fennel …

Fennel is easy to grow if you have a vegetable garden and want to try it.  It actually even looks good in a flower garden.  It will even grow in a pot!  If that doesn’t interest you, it is available at your local grocer or farmer’s market nearly year round, and will cost you about $.99 - $2.99 for a large bulb.

The great thing about fennel is that the whole thing is consumable.  The feathery leaves and flowers are great on top of pastas or mixed in salads; the seeds are spicy and are great in marinades and baked goods; the stalks flavor soups and sauces; and the bulb can be sliced and put in salads and on sandwiches or cooked into pasta dishes or with pork roasts – you name it. 

My oldest child created her own recipe for fennel:  Fennel and Mango Salad.  It is delicious and is easily packed into a reusable container and sent to school in a lunch box.

Fennel and Mango Salad

by Annabelle Bentley

Ingredients:
  • 1 large bulb of fennel, sliced thinly and cut into sticks
  • 2 mangos, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper (green will also due), chopped
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained well
  • juice of 1 lime or ¼ cup of lime juice (½ a lemon will do)
  • 1 T honey (more to taste if citrus is very sour)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil of choice (we use safflower oil)
  • lettuce leaves for garnish
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a medium glass or non-reactive bowl toss the Fennel, Mangos, Bell Pepper and Black Beans. In a separate bowl or a blender combine well the lime juice, honey and vegetable oil. Pour over the fennel mixture and toss gently. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve over lettuce. Enjoy.

Back