Fennel is the NEW Cabbage

Yesterday I did my monthly demo at my local Fresh Market. My regulars were pleasantly surprised at trying a new vegetable; fennel. As far as I can remember, I had never eaten any fresh fennel as an adult until I stumbled upon a great recipe for a fennel and tomato tart. I made it for some clients and they loved it. I got over my fear of trying a new vegetable and was truly happy that I had tried something new. For some reason, fennel and tomatoes baked together seem like a marriage made in veggie heaven.

While my pictures are not perfect, I was told over and over that the recipe for the Cilantro Fennel Slaw was a surprise that was wonderful. They said it was a nice summery use for the vegetable. So here are the only two pictures I had time for and the link for the two recipes I made at the demo. The first recipe was for Halibut Skewers with a Chili Citrus Sauce.

I know that's hard trying a new vegetable. I am not a picky eater but sometimes trying something new is not easy. So if you know or try fennel and you don't like it, you can use regular green cabbage for the slaw recipe. If you want to go one more step further with the slaw, trying chopping up some fresh Roma tomatoes and adding them to the slaw. It's a great summer slaw! So get out there try something new!