Less Fat During the Holidays: Anise and Grapefruit Salad

We have now descended into that stretch of time known around here as Gain Weight Now.  First comes Thanksgiving with an abundance of butter and carbs.  Too much stuffing, too many pies.  Then comes all the holiday parties, where candies and alcohol seem to be the two constants in every home.  There's the kid's Chanukah party at school, complete with fried latkes, fried donuts and fried mouth-taste afterwards.  A cookie swap here, a cookie swap there.  Did I mention the annual family dinner at The Post House?  And the annual other family dinner at our house?

You've got your basic recipe for larger hips.


So I rely on breakfast and lunch to keep me in check.  My breakfasts are pretty boring:  cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, tomatoes.  Every. Day.  I can't eat sweet in the morning.  In a word: yuck. 

Lunch, on the other hand, is a good time.  And with these Greasefests and Cowfests coming up, I want something light.  Satisfying, pretty, tasty, but also light.  Something with flavors I don't normally turn to on a regular basis.  Like fennel bulbs and grapefruit.

Your ingredients.  Not nearly as pretty preassembled.

I like this salad because it has enough unique ingredients to keep me interested, nuts to keep me filled up, and plenty of citrus (did I mention I'm a Fresca addict?).  You can use any herb you wish, I happen to enjoy this salad with cilantro.  If you prefer oranges over grapefruit, go for it.  I'm not a big fan of oranges, but I could swim in grapefruit.

And as my sister always says, everything tastes better on Deruta ceramics.  So treat yourself to a pretty plate for this salad.

Lighten up, folks.  This month is rough.

Anise and Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette 
Serves 1

2 large handfuls of mixed greens
5 slices anise (fennel) bulb, very thinly sliced
1/2 red or pink grapefruit, sectioned
1/2 stalk celery, peeled and then thinly sliced
1-2 slices red onion, very thinly sliced
a small handful of cilantro
2-3 T. slivered almonds, toasted
2 T. fresh grapefruit juice
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. fruity olive oil

Using a chef's knife, thinly slice the anise, celery and red onion.  There's no trick to it.  Just get it as thin as you like.  A word about the celery:  I like to peel the outer skin from the stalk first to remove the strings.

As usual, this nifty little gadget was a hand-me-down from my mom, Queen of All Gadgets.

Over a bowl to capture all the juices, gently remove the sections from the grapefruit with a grapefruit knife.  If you don't have a grapefruit knife, a small serrated knife will do.  Or take the lazy way and just peel a grapefruit and cut up some of the sections.  Keep in mind, though, the salad is better without the tough membranes that separate the sections.

Heat a small pan on the stove top and add the nuts.  Give the pan a shake a few times so as not to burn the nuts.  Do this for about 4 minutes.

Whisk the juices with the olive oil.

Arrange the greens on a (pretty!) plate, then scatter the anise, grapefruit, celery, onions and almonds.  Add a mound of cilantro (or scatter) in the center.  Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

Still life with Deruta plate.