Shaved fennel salad with croutons and walnuts

Enjoy the delightful blend of crunchy shaved fennel, crispy croutons, and rich walnuts in this refreshing salad. A perfect balance of flavors!

Ingredients:

• cups coarsely torn sourdough bread
• cup walnuts or pecans
• Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more
• Kosher salt
• Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• garlic clove, finely grated
• tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• fennel bulbs with fronds
• cup torn fresh mint leaves
• lemon
• oz. Parmesan, shaved

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread 2 cups of roughly torn sourdough bread on one side of a baking sheet with edges and ½ cup of walnuts or pecans on the other side (as they cook at different speeds). Drizzle the bread with 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil; add kosher salt to season. Mix well, squeezing the bread to help it soak up the oil evenly. Bake until the nuts are golden brown and the croutons are dark brown and very crispy, about 8-10 minutes for the nuts and 12-15 minutes for the croutons. Allow them to cool, then roughly chop the nuts.In the meantime, mix 3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 1 finely grated garlic clove, and ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the garlic to mellow and infuse the vinegar.Whisk 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil into the vinegar mixture, then add the croutons and chopped nuts. Season the crouton mixture with a pinch of kosher salt, toss to coat, and let the croutons soften slightly. Set aside.To avoid cutting yourself, use a kitchen towel to hold the slippery vegetable while using the sharp slicer blade.Trim the stalks and fronds off of 2 fennel bulbs. Chop the fronds coarsely, thinly slice the stalks, and place them in a large bowl. Halve the fennel bulbs and thinly slice them using a mandoline (or practice your knife skills if you don't have one). Add the sliced fennel to the bowl along with ¾ cup of torn fresh mint leaves. Zest half a lemon over the salad, then squeeze in the juice. Season with kosher salt, toss to combine.Divide the reserved crouton mixture among plates and sprinkle with 1 oz. of shaved Parmesan. Top with the fennel salad and the remaining 1 oz. of shaved Parmesan. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Note: This fennel salad recipe was originally featured in our April 2018 issue. For more delicious Thanksgiving salad ideas, check here →

Summary:

• Calories: 1721 kcal
• Fat: 138 g
• Protein: 46 g
• Carbs: 91 g
• Potassium: 2725 mg
• Magnesium: 270 mg