Bean & Fennel salad
No boring salads!
This salad doesn’t even feel like you are eating ‘salad’, the beans are soft and creamy, the fennel crunchy and the dressing just brings the two ingredients together like a match made in heaven. If you are unsure about fennel, try out this recipe, I guarantee it will put fennel on your favourite veg list. It’s best made in advance with time to sit in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
Serves: 2 / Ready in: 15 mins, best kept in the fridge overnight before serving / Difficulty: 3/5 / Storing: Store in a sealed container or cover with clingfilm, keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
1 large bulb of fennel, cut into thin bite-size strips (save the fronds, the green tops)
1 tin of beans (borlotti, cannellini, kidney, butter bean, pinto, haricot), drained and rinsed
3 spring onions, slice around 1 cm chunks
Fresh dill, finely chopped or picked
Juice of 1 lemon
3tbsp olive oil
1tsp honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
big pinch of salt & ground black pepper
Method
Use a bowl or a flat surfaced bowl and place in the spring onion and fennel. Tip over the beans and spread them out over the dish. In a small jar or bowl, add the dill, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Tighten the jar lid on and give it a good shake to mix up, or in a bowl use a fork to bring the dressing together. Taste and adjust as needed.
Pour the dressing over the fennel and bean salad, picking over the fronds then using clingfilm seal the bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. The longer the dish has to absorb the dressing the better, this also allows the fennel to slightly soften. Enjoy!
Nutritional information, per serving
kcal: 415
Fat: 22.1g
Saturates: 3.5g
Carbs: 37.7g
Sugars: 12.5g
Fibre: 15.5g
Protein: 13.9g