A light and refreshing vegan salad that’s easy to make, filled with texture, color, taste and tang! It’s shaved fennel with arugula, crispy quinoa, fresh herbs, lemon and red onion. Simple enough for every day, with just enough flair to earn a spot on the holiday buffet…
….it’s fresh and bright, crunchy and tangy and you don’t have to fuss with a dressing….just squeeze on the fresh lemon, drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I’m going to be making it throughout the week of Passover this year.
Looking for more Healthy Passover Recipes? Discover new and exciting ways to enjoy Kosher for Passover Recipes while maintaining a balanced diet with Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Passover.
Ingredient Notes
- Fennel: when shaved or sliced super thin, the licorice flavor is pretty mild, but if you really don’t like it, substitute with celery, cucumber or another crunchy vegetable.
- Crispy quinoa….don’t skip this mega satisfying, crunchy, salty, tasty crisp little pockets of deliciousness. Make it in advance and then you can pull this salad together in just 5 minutes.
- Fresh herbs: whatever you’ve got is a great vibrant enhancement to this salad. I love the way fresh parsley and fennel work together!
Make it
It’s easiest to make crispy quinoa from already cooked, cold quinoa, leftover in the fridge. Otherwise, go ahead and measure one cup dry quinoa, rinse it well, combine in an instant pot with 1 cup water and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet in a single layer to cool off.
Spread cooked quinoa onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and mix well. Bake in preheated 425 oven for 25 minutes.
Prep Vegetables
Cut the root end and the fronds off fennel bulb. If your fennel has large, dill like leaves, save them to throw into the salad.
Use a mandolin to shave super thin slices off the root end. It’s worth buying an inexpensive mandolin for tasks like this, but you can use a knife to thinly slice.
Use the mandolin to thinly slice the red onion. Then, stack the slices and cut those into quarters.
Load up your salad bowl with arugula, shaved fennel, crispy quinoa, roughly chopped parsley, sliced onion, salt + pepper, then zest the lemon over your veggies.
Juice the lemon over everything and then drizzle on the olive oil. Toss well. Keep mixing until everything is well incorporated with the oil and lemon.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Trust me, nobody wants a “project” at the table….make sure everything is in bit sized pieces and it’s mixed together well.
- Crispy quinoa can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay good for 2 weeks.
- Fresh herbs help this chopped salad taste vibrant, so use liberally, adding mint, dill, cilantro or whatever you like.
- For a sweeter salad, add the zest and juice of one orange.
- If you’re sensitive to raw onions, substitute with thinly sliced red cabbage for the pop of color!
📖 Recipe
Shaved Fennel Salad
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 2 bulbs fennel
- 1 small red onion
- 4 cups arugula
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 1.5 cups crispy quinoa
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make crispy quinoa using 3 cups cooked quinoa. Spread on large rimmed baking tray. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 25 minutes.
- While the quinoa is crisping up, trim ends off fennel and then slice super thin. I use a small handheld mandolin for this to make it quick and easy.
Notes
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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