Winter Salad with Hempseed Vinaigrette

Anise-scented fennel joins forces with nutty hempseeds to create a powerfully yummy winter salad, but that’s not the best part. Sure, vegetables are jam-packed with nutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals, but by adding hempseeds, you get the added punch of essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega 6. The perfect salad, I’d say.

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredient List:

• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 head Romaine lettuce, rinsed well, hand-shredded
• 1 head frisee (curly endive), rinsed well, hand-shredded
• 2 Belgian endives, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2-3 red radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely minced

Hempseed vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup shelled hempseeds
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard
• sea salt

Step By Step Instructions:

Trim fennel stalks flush with the bulbs and discard the stalks, reserving about 3 tablespoons of the leaves. Halve fennel bulbs, remove the cores and slice each half very thinly. Combine with balance of vegetables in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Heat a dry skillet over low heat and pan toast hempseeds until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Place oil and shallots in a small saucepan and warm for 4-5 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and whisk vinegar, mustard, sea salt to taste and toasted hempseeds until smooth.

Spoon hempseed dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Serve immediately.