Raw Beet and Fennel Salad

This is one of the most amazing salads I have ever tasted. Maybe it's because I'm in love with beets at the moment. Or that fresh fennel and cucumber is a heavenly delight. Or maybe it's that all this raw food is going straight to my head. Regardless of the reasons, it is a delicious and very easy-to-make salad.

If you are lucky enough to have a mandoline, then it's time to pull it out. If not, then grab your sharpest knife and get to work. I do not have a mandoline so I did this by hand. The beauty of this salad is the thin slicing. Even if you do not think you will like the taste of raw beets, when they are paper-thin, they are very delicious. If you are nervous about trying the raw beets, I also recommend letting them soak overnight in the dressing to soften up a bit. I tried this with some leftover salad and it was even better the next day.

I've made several batches of this over the past week and have begun to use a vegetable peeler on the beets. A peeler will give you perfectly thin slices without a ton of work. Experiment for yourself and see what you like best. Be sure to report your findings!

These past two weekends have been so beautiful that even with my CSA produce, I have to make a trip to the farmer's market. You can find pretty much everything that you need for this salad at the market. If you don't want to use cabbage, then feel free to use fresh greens instead.


Serves 2.

1 head of cabbage (I used green)
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1 large fennel bulb (or two medium), thinly sliced
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 red beet, thinly sliced
1 golden beet, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs agave (or to taste)
1 1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

Puree mint, lemon juice, oil, agave, and mustard in a blender until smooth. Prepare your vegetables. You can either arrange them on a plate and drizzle with the dressing or you can toss the dressing with the salad. (I told you it was easy!)