Fennel is a bulb shaped vegetable topped with stalks of feathery green leaves that is extremely common in European cooking. Since moving to London I have come across it regularly and have recently started incorporating it into my own meals. The entire fennel plant is edible and can be enjoyed raw or cooked (personally I only like it cooked – when it takes on a whole other level of deliciousness). If you haven’t already, you may want to try this vegetable out yourself as it comes with some pretty amazing health benefits.
Fennel contains valuable phytochemicals, such as anethole, which has been shown to keep our bodies super healthy by protecting against cancer, inflammation, and digestive problems like gas and uncomfortable cramping. Fennel also provides us with an excellent source of vitamin C so we can maintain a strong and effective immune system. Furthermore, fennel is a good source of fiber, folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Fennel, Olive & Tomato Stew
makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or another cooking oil)
2 yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 mild chilies (or to taste), minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 head fennel
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup olives (green or black), pitted
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, rinsed and drained or roughly 3 cups cooked beans
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese or a dollop of fat free greek yogurt
Cilantro to garnish (optional)
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, chilies, paprika, and cumin. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the fennel to be added to the stew. Cut the leafy tops off the fennel and cut in half. Wash any dirt out of the fennel and remove the tough base and harder center core if necessary (depending on size of fennel there may or may not be a tough center core). Then slice the fennel 2-inch strips.
Once the vegetables are soft add the fennel, cans of tomato, olives, white beans, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with feta cheese and freshly chopped cilantro and serve warm with a cooked whole-grain, such as quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, or millet.
Recipe Note: The chilis, paprika, and cumin give this stew quite a bite. I love my food spicy so I purposely do this but you can easily leave out the chilis for a more milder taste. Also, based on your preference you can easily substitute 1-ounce chicken or lean beef for 1/4-cup beans. For this recipe that means swapping 1-can of beans for 6-ounces of lean meat. However, a lot of the valuable fiber in this recipe will be lost along with the beans so I would suggest only swapping one can of beans and still keep one can of beans in the recipe.
Nutrition facts per serving: 373 calories, 12 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 607 mg sodium, 54 g total carbohydrates, 14 g fiber, 18 g protein
BALANCE IT OUT: This is pretty much a complete meal in a pot but serving it with a whole-grain roll or cooked whole grain (brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat,etc) balanced it all out. I love eating this stew with cooked quinoa that I flavor with fresh lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Hopefully I will be able to post this simple quinoa recipe this week as it goes great with so many dishes.
Love,
Renee
