Mediterranean Fennel Salad - A Recipe

In my last blog, I prepared fresh Barrimundi, an Australian white fish while I was in Cairns in North Queensland last month. I served this delicious fish over a fresh Mediterranean Fennel Salad. The flavors of the lemon, kalamata olives and the crunchy licorice of the fresh fennel really set off the flavor of the fish without overpowering it’s mild goodness.

As promised, here is the recipe for the Mediterranean Fennel Salad I made using a large, fresh fennel bulb from Rusty’s Weekend Market in Cairns.

Mediterranean Fennel Salad

1 large fennel bulb with leaves
½ cup pitted kalamata olives with juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh lemon juiced
Fresh sea salt to taste

Chop the fennel bulb into thin slices and place in a mixing bowl. Chop fennel leaves, placing around three tablespoons in with the fresh chopped fennel. Chop olives and add to the salad. Drizzle olive oil and olive juice (to taste) and mix. Add sea salt to taste (there may be enough salt in the olives for you so try it before adding salt).

You can use this salad as a side dish or serve fish on top of it as I did this night. You may also consider sautéing the fresh fennel salad instead of serving it raw. Fennel bulb sautés nicely and maintains its licorice flavor.

This recipe was originally inspired by a private chef client of mine who asked me to prepare it for her each week. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. I hope you try this one and that you enjoy using fennel bulb in salads and sautés for years to come. It is a great vegetable to add to your repertoire.

For more information on living a delicious and healthy life, see http://www.deliciousandhealthy.com/

For my 14 day gluten free and dairy free diet cookbook complete with a grocery list and product picks to take the guess work out of it, click here.

Looking for a Natural Energy Boost? This Is Amazing!

A lack of energy is a problem I hear described by many of the people that I work with. My clients that have the most energy to spare are super health conscious - some are raw foodists.

While not everyone can afford the time and money involved in a raw diet, there is an easy solution that can help you get the most important thing you can put into your body on a daily basis - quickly and easily - fruits and veggies!

I found this fantastic raw, vegan, fruit and veggie powder at Whole Foods Market on sale this week (in the West Hollywood store - check your location for certain by calling your Whole Body Department.)

Macro Life Naturals makes "Macro Greens" powder that is gluten free and low carbohydrate. It's delicious! Not too sweet. I cut it with filtered water alone and really enjoyed the flavor. If you know you are sensitive to flavors, try putting this in a smoothie or in apple juice.

I have dips in my energy levels due to early menopause symptoms and a suspected hypo thyriod issue. I was dipping in energy late this morning and really wanting a nap. BUT, I drank one glass of this and did not need one. In fact, I am very focused with plenty of energy to get everything done that needs to be!

This delicious powder supplement surpasses the suggested four servings of fruits and veggies each day. I am very happy with this product and will keep you posted over the next few days as to how I am feeling as I continue take it. So far, I am IMPRESSED!!

To read more about the product, go here: http://www.macrolifenaturals.com/

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The Best Raw Snacks Ever!

I was in the kitchen at Whole Foods Market in West Hollywood, California preparing to teach a class when an angel floated in. She bestowed two huge bags full of her culinary gifts for me to sample, gave me a heartfelt hug and left. I was excited. I love food and presents and she had delivered both!

The angel in the kitchen was Susan O'Brien, the owner of Hail Merry raw food products. It's a Dallas, Texas based company with some of the best products I have ever tasted in the gluten free, raw, vegan world of foodstuffs.

Her "Grawnola" is scrumptious! She dehydrates the nuts (after soaking them in filtered water to release the enzymes), seeds and gluten free oats then mixes them with pure cane sugar and cinnamon. This is a great morning cereal or snack to take with you where ever you go.

Other treats she provided included gluten free macaroons, chili spiced pecans and lemon thyme pecans. All were extremely well balanced in their flavors. She certainly knows what she is doing in the kitchen!

The most impressive of all her gifts to me were her gluten and dairy free Merry's Miracle Chocolate Tarts. I have had numerous raw food chocolate desserts and have made many of them myself. These were, by far, the best I have tried. In fact, her tart won in the Natural Foods Expo West for best new product out of, are you ready for this? - thirty six hundred entries! Yeah, they are that good!

Now available in most Whole Foods Markets around the country, you can get her delicious treats too. Or, order online by clicking here.

Many thanks to Susan O'Brien and her angelic treats. Even if you are not into raw foods, try them. They are far better than most cooked foods I have had!