First of all, did you know my first cookbook got published? It’s called Cookbook #1: A French Girl’s Cooking Adventures in Her Kitchen, and it’s available online, you’re just a click away, RIGHT HERE!
Fennel is a very tasty vegetable, it smells a lot like anise, it’s crunchy, it brings lots of vitamins, helps with the digestion, absorbs gas and contributes to weight loss. With so many great effects, it would be a pity not to use it to its full extend, but as always, if you don’t want to get bored too fast with something, you must find several ways to use it in order to avoid the routine. See the photos gallery at the bottom of this page to get a pre-taste. Here are already a few hints !
1. Drink Fennel Seeds Infusion. It’s fairly easy to prepare, and you can either drink hot fennel seeds infusion at night, or let it cool down and drink it as fennel seeds water throughout the day. Or re-heat it, and drink 3 to 4 cups a day out the liter you’ve prepared in advance. Proportions are about 4 teaspoons of seeds for a liter of water. Infused fennel seeds boost metabolism, and by that mechanism it has weight loss properties. What’s more interesting to know about it is that it stimulates melatonin, one of the sleeping hormones, so drinking this mixture also can help you fall asleep faster.
2. Cilantro and Lime Salmon with Fennel Salad (or an alternative idea with Grilled Shrimp, Melon and Fennel salad). Fennel is chewy, and is full of soft fibers that bring fast fullness right after a meal. So it helps loosing weight because of better digestion AND greater appetite fullness. Prepare the salmon steak. Sear it directly in a hot pan, 2 minutes on both sides (then let it cook on low heat), with no oil at all, the fat will directly come from the fish itself, no need for add-on. Thinly chop or grate thick pieces of fennel to make a simple salad, and pour a teaspoon of olive oil. Prepare the marinade on the side with lime juice, olive oil and chopped cilantro, eventually chop a bit of scallions (the green part only) or Kosher green peppers if you like the marinade to be hot. Add about one third of the marinade to the pan while the salmon finishes cooking. Serve on a plate, and pour the rest of the marinade over the fish and the fennel salad. For extra taste, you can even add to the salad a few fennel seeds, but don’t exceed a teaspoon. If you’re making the other recipe, CLICK HERE.
3. Go Vegan with Tofu and Fennel Sautéed. It will detox your body, and at the same time will optimize the digestion of fats in the liver. Moreover, going all vegan for once in your love-eating-meat-life tremendously helps cleaning your body and facilitates the elimination of toxins by the kidneys. Besides, the tofu brings all the proteins you need. For the full recipe, CLICK HERE.
4. Summer Chicken Skewers with Grilled Fennel Seeds and Cherry Tomatoes. Because of the fact that fennel seeds are here an appetite suppressant, it means that you don’t need to eat much on the side of this dish, which makes it a very healthy lunch or dinner. Cut the chicken into regular pieces and cook them in a hot pan with very little olive oil. Just before the end, throw about a teaspoon of fennel seeds onto the chicken pieces, stir well to roughly cover the poultry, add salt and pepper to taste. Prepare the skewers by alternating chicken pieces and cherry tomatoes.
5. Fennel Seeds Cookies. Those are very basic cookies, but are wonderfully extra tasty. You can make your regular shortbread cookie with vanilla extract and add a generous teaspoon of fennel seeds. The toppings are left to your own choice, and although my original recipe only included pine nuts, your actual options are wide. Here is my Yummy Recipe for you Here.
6. Breadcrumbs and Fennel Seeds coated Veal Cutlets aka Schnitzel. Who does not love breadcrumbs coated veal ? Try to add on some great new flavor by coating your meat with fennel seeds mixed to the breadcrumbs. This recipe can be used, of course, with chicken breasts, or if you even like Cordon Bleu (poultry stuffed with chicken breast slice or ham, and melting cheese), why not giving it a try as well ? It tastes amazing and gives you the chance to serve your family a classic dish with a very personal touch !
For more insight on health and diet matters, READ MORE HERE.
Researched and Written by Sophie Rebibo-Halimi, © 2015 All Rights Reserved.
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