Recipe: Simple Grilled Fennel

Fennel has a very distinct but mild licorice flavor, but and when it’s grilled becomes a tender, melt-in-your-mouth experience you don’t want to miss.  This delicious recipe is so simple, but has a gourmet flavor that will wow your guests at your next barbecue!


Simple Grilled Fennel

Ingredients:

Fennel bulbs
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

• Trim the tops off the fennel. The leafy parts can be used as an herb in your cooking, but aren’t needed for this recipe. You can even use the stalks in place of celery in some recipes, but realize they’ll have a much stronger flavor than celery.
• Trim the bottom of the bulb and then cut the remaining bulb lengthwise into quarters. Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Place on grill at medium heat to sear the fennel. Move to indirect heat, with the cut side up, and cook covered for about 45 minutes or until fennel is very soft. You can tell when it’s done by texture, rather than time. You definitely want to make sure it’s tender. 
• Serve as an appetizer or with a meal as a side dish.

Recipe: Warm Asparagus Spears with Pine Nuts

Nothing says spring like asparagus! Fresh from the garden, it's a true spring treat that is unlike anything else. Cooking it, however, can be tricky. The best way to do it is to keep it simple and let the unique flavor of the vegetable shine through.

Tender, but not overcooked asparagus is often a fine art. In these recipe, we steam the asparagus lightly before sautéing it with red wine vinegar. The final touch is chopped pine nuts sprinkled on top. Just a little goes a long way. This makes a great vegetarian side dish. If you're an Ovo-Lacto vegetarian, you can also vary the dish by adding a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese at the end.

Warm Asparagus Spears with Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Chopped pine nuts

Directions:

• Cut or snap off the tougher ends of the asparagus stems and steam the spears for about 3 minutes.
• After the asparagus has steamed, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the red wine vinegar and asparagus and sauté for about 2 minutes. 
• When the asparagus starts to brown slightly it’s ready. 
• Season it with salt and pepper and topped with chopped pine nuts.

Recipe: Healthy Hummus Chicken Wraps

Here's another meal on the lighter side perfect for spring. Lots of veggies, plus chicken and hummus for protein, make this a great option for a wholesome lunch or light supper.

Healthy Hummus Chicken Wraps
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked naturally raised or organic chicken meat, shredded with a fork
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup hummus
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 green onions, chopped fine
dash cumin
dash red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste
4 medium size whole grain or other healthy choice tortillas for wraps
4 cups dark mixed organic salad greens

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the next 6 ingredients; taste and season as desired with salt and black pepper.
• Lay the tortillas out on a work surface and evenly divide the chicken mixture between them, spreading out slightly in the middle of the tortilla. Then top each with the greens and fold the wrap up from the bottom, then roll the sides in to form the wrap.