From an award-winning food writer and chef-the breakthrough cookbook that identifies 12 micronutrient-rich foods that can help protect you against major disease and shows you how to turn them into mouthwatering dishes. A diet rich in nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and vitamins, is not enough for our health. For optimum protection against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, we also need an abundance of micronutrients.
Fennel and toasted nuts give a new twist to this salad with creamy dressing. Instead of waiting for leftovers from a roast chicken, you can make it using a barbecued breast from the store.
Makes 4 servings
Salad:
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups diced roast chicken breast (8 ounces)
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut in 3/4"cubes
2 wild fennel bulbs, or 1/4 medium fennel bulb, chopped
6 cups shredded red leaf, romaine, or Boston lettuce, or any combination
Dressing:
2 tablespoons low-fat whipped dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Toast until they are fragrant and lightly colored, 10 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes and again after 6 minutes so they toast evenly. Set the nuts aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, apple, fennel, and nuts.
For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the whipped dressing, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper, adjusting the seasoning to taste. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture, tossing until the salad is evenly coated.
To serve, divide the lettuce among 4 dinner plates and mound the chicken salad equally over the greens.
Per serving: 279 calories, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 22 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber
Wild fennel bulbs are long and slim. You can find them at an increasing number of supermarkets as well as farmers' markets, particularly during the summer and fall. They should be thinly sliced, as they are crunchier (some would say tougher) than the bulbous fennel we are used to. They also have a more pronounced anise flavor.
