I learned a version of this recipe in Tuscany, Italy at a traditional foods culinary workshop conducted by the fabulous Jenny McGruther of the Nourished Kitchen. This recipe uses the bitter but oh-so-good-for-you dandelion and marries it with the sweetness of an orange, making it a highly refreshing and delicious salad.
Dandelion has special healing properties – it is especially beneficial for the liver detoxification pathways that get rid of estrogens.
- 1 bunch of dandelion leaves, cut to strips
- 1 bunch of arugula, leaves roughly torn
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
- 1 orange, peeled and cut to small pieces
- ⅓ cup of orange juice – this should be from 1 juicy orange
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ tsp orange zest (zest the orange before you juice it, it’s much easier that way)
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Place all dressing ingredients in a jar, close the lid and shake vigorously until the mixture is well emulsified.
- Combine dandelion, arugula, fennel bulb and orange in a large salad bowl.
- Mix in the dressing. I like to use my hands to fold in the dressing with the ingredients.
Modifications:
AIP: Replace fennel seeds with fresh chopped mint.
Low-FODMAP: Replace dandelion leaves with spinach leaves. Omit orange. Replace orange juice with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Replace orange zest with lemon zest.
Low-Histamine: Replace orange juice with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Replace orange zest with lemon zest.
Anti-Candida: Omit orange. Replace orange juice with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Replace orange zest with lemon zest.