Grapefruit Winter Salad with Roasted Fennel and Avocado

Sometimes in the middle of the holiday season I just want something green. There are cookies everywhere (I mean- I’m not complaining) but by around December 15th my tastebuds feel like they are burned off due to excessive holiday indulgence (I’m looking at you, vino).  So, naturally, my body is begging for more green.

You too? ok good.

This salad answers that craving using(mostly) seasonal ingredients. I love arugula so it makes up the base in many of my salads but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Grapefruit is so wonderful this time of year and I like the tartness and freshness it brings to the dish along with the pomegranate and mint.

Have you ever roasted fennel before? It smells so lovely. I couldn’t wait to open the oven and dig right in.  I like using roasted veggies in my winter salads because it feels more grounding and easy to digest in the frigid months.  Living in a cold climate makes it hard to eat fully raw salads all year long.  Along with the roasted fennel I added chopped dates, toasted pine nuts and of course the grapefruit, pomegranate and mint which make such a good combination!

For a dressing I used a simple balsamic reduction.  This is an easy thing to have on hand whenever you want to add a pop of flavour or sweetness to your salad. Just drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and you are all set!

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Grapefruit Winter Salad with Roasted Fennel and Avocado

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This winter salad is easy to throw together and is full of flavour! With roasted fennel and grapefruit it makes the perfect salad to take to a holiday party.

• Author: Sweet Lizzy
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Category: salad

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

arugula as the base

1 fennel bulb

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic

1/2 grapefruit, segmented

2 dates, pits removed and chopped

3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

2 tbsp pine nuts, roasted

1 avocado, sliced

chopped fresh mint, for garnish

olive oil

salt and pepper

Maple Balsamic Reduction

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Trim off the fennel stalks and cut the bulb in half and cut each half into four pieces. Toss the fennel with the olive oil and balsamic and salt and pepper. Place the fennel in a parchment lined pan and roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway.

While the fennel is cooking start the balsamic reduction.  Add the balsamic and maple syrup to a small pot and simmer on low until it starts to thicken (about ten minutes). Once thickened let cool.

If you haven’t toasted the pine nuts, do this now.

To assemble the salad put the arugula as the base and then layer on the roasted fennel, grapefruit, avocado, chopped dates, pomegranate seeds, and pine nuts.  Drizzle olive oil and the balsamic reduction over the salad. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with chopped, fresh mint.

Enjoy!