This shaved fennel salad is light and refreshing, pairing the raw vegetable with apple, lemon, and Parmesan cheese.

“I thought I didn’t like fennel salads, until I tried this one.” That was my dad after taking a few bites of this salad, and what an endorsement! This delightful fennel salad is one anyone can enjoy despite any preconceptions, pairing the shaved raw vegetable with sweet apple, zingy lemon and savory Parmesan cheese. Delicate fennel fronds make a feathery garnish, and each bite is irresistibly crunchy with a pop of acidity. Welcome to our (and your?) new favorite side dish, versatile enough to pair with fish, chicken, or vegetarian mains beautifully.

Ingredients in fennel salad

There are several common flavor pairings with the licorice bite of fresh fennel. A common Mediterranean pairing is fennel and orange, like this Fennel Orange Salad. This shaved salad features fennel and apple, another ideal pairing where the sweetness of the fruit offsets the licorice crunch of the vegetable. Here’s what you’ll need for this salad:

• Fresh fennel heads, plus fennel fronds for garnish
• Apple
• Parmesan cheese
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

How to cut fennel

The most difficult part of this fennel salad? Thinly slicing the fennel! This vegetable can be tricky if you haven’t worked with it before. Here are the basic steps to how to cut fennel: or head to this video tutorial for more!

• Chop off the stalks and root end. Using a large chef’s knife, chop off the fennel stalks. Save them because you’ll use the wispy parts, the fronds, in the salad. Cut off the root end.
• Remove outer layers. Remove any tough outer layers of the fennel and discard them.
• Slice in half, then in half moons. Slice down the center of the fennel bulb. Place it on its cut side and cut very thin half-moon slices parallel to the root end.

Remember to save those wispy parts: the fennel fronds! They look a bit like dill, and infuse even more fresh flavor into the salad.

Tips for fennel salad

This fennel salad is ultra simple: toss all the ingredients together with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. It makes for beautifully fresh flavor with very simple ingredients. Here are a few more things to note with this fennel salad:

• Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving. It’s best right away, but you can refrigerate for a few hours if necessary.
• It lasts up to 3 days refrigerated. It does lose some flavor over time, so refresh the flavors with more salt, lemon juice or lemon zest as needed.
• Other flavor adders? Add a crunchy nut like chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios. Add sliced shallot for another savory element. Or swap apples for oranges and add thinly sliced red onion.

More fresh fennel recipes

Fresh fennel is a unique vegetable that adds intrigue in flavor: its raw licorice flavor is softened when cook. Here are a few ideas to try after this fennel salad:

• Make Perfect Roasted Fennel
• Try Fennel Orange Salad
• Add it to Tuscan Soup with White Beans or Best Ever Lentil Soup
• Try our 10 Favorite Fennel Recipes

01

Perfect Roasted Fennel

02

Fennel Orange Salad

03

How to Cut Fennel

04

10 Fantastic Fennel Recipes

This fennel salad recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Fennel Salad with Parmesan

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• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

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Description

This shaved fennel salad is light and refreshing, pairing the raw vegetable with apple, lemon, and Parmesan cheese.

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Ingredients

• 2 heads fennel (4 to 5 cups sliced), plus fennel fronds
• 1 apple
• ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest of ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Using a large chef’s knife, chop off the fennel stalks, saving them for the garnish. Then cut off the root end of the fennel. Remove any tough outer layers of the fennel and discard them. Slice down the center of the fennel bulb. Place it on its cut side and cut very thin half-moon slices parallel to the root end. (Go to How to Cut Fennel for more. You can also use a mandolin to cut very thin slices if you have one.)
2. Thinly slice the apple. Place the fennel and apple slices in a medium bowl, and add the shaved Parmesan cheese (cut shavings with a vegetable peeler). 
3. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Pull off the wispy parts (the fronds) with your fingers, and roughly tear them, adding enough for about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Place them in the bowl. 
4. Gently toss the salad with your hands until it’s evenly coated, taking care not to break the apple slices. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until serving. Stores up to 3 days refrigerated; refresh the flavors with a pinch of salt and a bit of lemon juice or zest if desired. 

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Category: Side dish
• Method: No cook
• Cuisine: Salad

Keywords: Fennel salad

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Flourless AND dairy-free peanut butter cookies, I should say. These cookies are a great option for my gluten-free and dairy-free friends, but I love them just because they’re just so incredibly easy. These peanut butter cookies are rich, soft, and perfectly salty-sweet. And because they’re so easy to make (no mixer required), I bet they’d be a fun weekend project to make with the kids!

What’s in Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies?

Flourless peanut butter cookies have been around for a while and the concept is simple: peanut butter + egg + sugar bakes into a tasty, sweet, and soft cookie. Most flourless peanut butter cookies use peanut butter-like JIF or Peter Pan, which has a fairly solid texture at room temperature. I prefer natural peanut butter, which is a little runnier, so I had to adjust the formula a bit to help the cookies keep their shape.

To account for the softer, almost liquid-like, texture of natural peanut butter, I substituted some of the regular sugar in the cookie for powdered sugar. Powdered sugar has an incredible thickening property that worked perfectly for helping these cookies hold their shape despite the soft peanut butter.

Can I Use Other Nut and Seed Butters?

While I haven’t tried other nut butters in this recipe, I would expect them to work so long as they have a similar texture to the natural peanut butter used here. Almond butter sounds great, as does sunflower butter. I bet tahini might even be interesting! Just keep in mind that if your nut butter has added sugar, you may want to reduce the sugar in the recipe below.

You may also need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar depending on the viscosity of your nut butter to make sure the dough has the correct texture.

What Else Can I Add?

These peanut butter cookies would be so fun to add some mix-ins or toppings! I originally planned to drizzle a little melted chocolate over my cookies (after they’re cooled), but realized too late that I was out. You could also mix in some chocolate chips, nuts, or crushed pretzels into the dough.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

These dairy-free flourless peanut butter cookies are soft, rich, and have the perfect salty-sweet balance. 

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Total Cost $1.65 recipe / $0.14 each

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Servings 12 cookies

Calories 207kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Equipment

• Enamelware Sheet Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Measuring Cups Spoons

Ingredients

• 1 cup natural peanut butter $1.10
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar $0.12
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar $0.05
• 1 large egg $0.23
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract $0.14
• 1/2 tsp baking powder $0.01

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir until it forms a cohesive dough. It should be firm enough to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still too soft, add a tablespoon or two more of powdered sugar to further firm up the dough.
• Divide the cookie dough into twelve pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then flatten it slightly. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and then use a fork to create a corss hatch pattern on the top of the cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. After baking, allow them to cool for about five minutes on the baking sheet, or until they're firm enough to lift with a spatula.
• Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, then serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g

How to Make Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add one cup natural peanut butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ⅔ cup powdered sugar, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon baking powder to a bowl. The dough will be easier to mix together if the peanut butter is not chilled.

Mix these ingredients together until they form a cohesive dough that is firm enough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Divide the dough into twelve pieces, roll each one into a ball, then flatten slightly. Use a fork to make a cross hatch pattern in the top of each cookie.

I like to bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet to make cleanup super fast and easy. Make sure to space the cookies a couple of inches apart, as they will grow a bit as they bake!

Bake the cookies in a preheated 350ºF oven for 12 minutes. Let the baked cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes so they can firm up before using a spatula to transfer to a wire rack (they’ll be super soft when hot).

After allowing the cookies to cool completely, store in an air-tight container at room temperature for about a week, or they can be frozen for a few months!

Try These Other Cookie Recipes:

• Chocolate Molasses Cookies
• Cinnamon Pecan Sandies
• Snickerdoodles for Two
• Homemade Rice Krispie Treats

The post Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies appeared first on Budget Bytes.

The tortilla pizza is a genius quick meal! It forms the crust of this crispy pie, ideal for an easy dinner or appetizer.

Need food…fast? There’s nothing better than a cheater pizza to the rescue, and this one is loads faster than delivery pizza. Try the mighty crispy Tortilla Pizza! This genius concept uses a tortilla to make the crust of the pizza pie, making for a delightful crunch for each bite. We love naan pizza and pita pizza, so it was time for testing it with a tortilla…which we like even better! Here’s how to make the best crispy tortilla pizza: ideal for weeknight dinners, kid foods or even a quick appetizer.

Methods for tortilla pizza

The most important thing when you use a tortilla as the crust for a pizza? Getting the tortilla very crispy. No one wants a wimpy pizza. There are three different methods for tortilla pizza, each of which have pros and cons. Here’s what to know:

• Pizza stone (crispiest): The best method for a tortilla pizza is a pizza stone. While it’s special equipment, the pizza comes out the crispiest. (Here’s the pizza stone we have). You can cook about 2 to 3 tortilla pizzas at once on a stone, depending on your stone and the size of the tortillas.
• Cast iron skillet (single serve): Don’t have a pizza stone? Make a tortilla pizza in a cast iron skillet. This method comes out very crispy. The only downside? You can only make one at a time.
• Oven grates (multi-serving): Tortilla pizza comes out great cooked right on the oven racks! This version doesn’t come out quite as crispy, but it still tastes great. You can cook several pizzas at once, which is great for serving a family. Make sure to place a baking sheet in the oven to catch drips with this method.

Another key: a great pizza sauce

Picked your method? The only other trick you’ll need to make a killer tortilla pizza? Our 5 minute Homemade Pizza Sauce. Here’s the thing: storebought pizza sauce is fine in a pinch. But this homemade sauce will blow your mind with the fresh, garlicky robust flavor. It takes every pizza up a notch. And it only takes 5 minutes to make, so why skimp?

• This pizza sauce takes 5 minutes in a blender. All you need are canned tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and olive oil. In fact, we have the recipe memorized. Take one bite from the blender, and it’s life changing.
• It capitalizes on the magic of fire roasted tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes are key for the flavor here! They’re tomatoes that have been roasted on an open flame, making them taste sweet right out of the can. Try them once, and you’ll never go back.

Tortilla pizza topping ideas

When it comes to tortilla pizza, our favorite flavor is margherita: a great pizza sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. But you can customize this any way you like! The only thing to keep in mind? Chop the toppings very small, and don’t overload the pizza. Because a tortilla is not as strong as a standard crust, you’ll need small and light toppings. Here are some flavor combination ideas (scale down the quantities for personal-sized pizza):

• Spinach Pizza
• Jalapeno Pizza
• White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
• Truffle Pizza or Mushroom Pizza
• Spinach Artichoke Pizza (chop the artichokes very finely!)
• Veggie Supreme Pizza
• Best Ever Taco Pizza
• Mediterranean Pizza
• Pesto Pizza

Gluten free options

What’s a good gluten free option for tortilla pizza? We don’t recommend using corn tortillas because of their strong flavor. But there are lots of grain free tortillas on the market that could work! Use your favorite brand: the thicker the better. The brand Siete has various options like almond flour tortillas or cassava flour tortillas. We have not tested gluten-free tortilla pizza, so let us know in the comments below if you have good options.

More pizza recipes

There are so many fun ways to make a pizza! Here are a few more alterative pizza ideas to add to your arsenal:

• Don’t forget our fan favorite Pizza Dough Master Recipe!
• Try simple Naan Pizza or Flatbread Pizza
• Opt for Easy Cheese Pita Pizza
• Grab Easy Eggplant Pizza

01

Naan Pizza

02

Easy Cheese Pita Pizza

03

Flatbread Pizza

04

Pizza Dough Master Recipe

This tortilla pizza recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, see the notes above.

Quick Tortilla Pizza

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• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 pizzas
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

The tortilla pizza is a genius quick meal! It forms the crust of this crispy pie, ideal for an easy dinner or appetizer.

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Ingredients

• 8-inch flour tortillas* (the thicker the better)
• &frac34 cup Homemade Pizza Sauce (required!)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
• Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a pizza stone if you have one (or a cast iron skillet, if using).
2. Make the Homemade Pizza Sauce.
3. Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with olive oil. Top each tortilla with 3 tablespoons pizza sauce and &frac14 cup shredded mozzarella. Add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and a small pinch of salt. Add additional bite-size chopped toppings if desired (but not the basil).
4. Cook using one of the following methods:
   1. Pizza stone or cast iron pan (crispiest): Place as many pizzas as fit directly onto the preheated pizza stone, or place one pizza into the preheated cast iron pan. Bake 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and the cheese is melted.
   2. Oven rack: Place the pizzas directly onto the oven racks, placing a baking sheet underneath to catch any drips. Bake 5 to 6 minutes until crispy and the cheese is melted.
5. Top with fresh basil, if using. Slice into pieces and serve.

Notes

*For gluten-free, use your favorite brand of grain free tortilla: as thick as possible. We don&#8217t recommend using corn tortillas because of their strong flavor.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Main dish
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Pizza

Keywords: Tortilla pizza

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

This Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli with Rosemary Oil is a nice recipe for serving to company (or to enjoy for yourself!)

There is something extremely satisfying about being able to make your own homemade ravioli. Honestly, you will be amazed at how wonderful it turns out. This recipe is different though. You are not making any pasta dough here. Instead, you will be using wonton wrappers to make this easy butternut squash ravioli. You know… the kind you use to make wonton soup? It’s such a good idea! And they turn out so delicious too.

Ingredients needed:

• butternut squash
• extra virgin olive oil
• garlic
• fresh rosemary
• prosciutto
• Parmesan cheese
• wonton wrappers
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli:

The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. You will need a Dutch oven or a large pot for this recipe.

1. In a Dutch oven, combine the squash, ⅓ cup water, olive oil, and a scant ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook until squash is just tender and water has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and rosemary and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl and mash the squash with a fork until mostly smooth. Stir in the prosciutto and cheese.
2. Wash out the pot and fill with a generous 2 quarts of water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a simmer.
3. Set out a large wire rack and a small bowl of water. Lay 6 wonton wrappers on a dry work surface. Brush the edges with water, then drop 1 tablespoon of filling onto each wrapper. Working with 1 at a time, top each wrapper with another wrapper; press to seal completely. Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, keeping the work surface dry.

How to make Rosemary Oil:

This is the topping you will drizzle over the butternut squash ravioli. It’s really good, but if you prefer to put another type of sauce like Alfredo or something else then that’s okay too.

• Heat the oil and rosemary in a small skillet over low heat until the rosemary starts to sizzle. Remove from heat.

Drizzle with 2 teaspoons cooking water and 1 teaspoon of the rosemary oil. 

Sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan cheese, and serve. These are so delicious. Enjoy!

Here are a few more butternut squash recipes you might like to try:

• Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
• Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
• Butternut Squash Noodles with Sausage
• Roasted Butternut Squash Gratin
• Butternut Squash Risotto with Rosemary and Blue Cheese

Print

Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli

Made with won ton wrappers and topped with homemade rosemary oil!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword butternut squash, butternut squash appetizer, ravioli, wontons

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 4 servings (main dish size)

Calories 296kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (via Perfect Recipes for Having People Over)

Ingredients

RAVIOLI:

• 1 pound (½ medium) butternut squash, (peeled, seeded, and cut into medium dice)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• salt
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto, minced
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 48 square (or round) wonton wrappers

ROSEMARY OIL:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

GARNISH:

• freshly ground black pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

MAKE THE RAVIOLI:

• In a Dutch oven, combine the squash, ⅓ cup water, olive oil, and a scant ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook until squash is just tender and water has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and rosemary and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl and mash the squash with a fork until mostly smooth. Stir in the prosciutto and cheese.
• Wash out the pot and fill with a generous 2 quarts of water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a simmer.
• Set out a large wire rack and a small bowl of water. Lay 6 wonton wrappers on a dry work surface. Brush the edges with water, then drop 1 tablespoon of filling onto each wrapper. Working with 1 at a time, top each wrapper with another wrapper; press to seal completely. Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, keeping the work surface dry.

MAKE THE ROSEMARY OIL:

• Heat the oil and rosemary in a small skillet over low heat until the rosemary starts to sizzle. Remove from heat.

COOK THE RAVIOLI:

• Gently slide 12 ravioli into simmering water. Cook until the wrappers start to wrinkle and turn from opaque to translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the ravioli and arrange 6 on each plate.
• Drizzle with 2 teaspoons cooking water and 1 teaspoon rosemary oil. Sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan cheese, and serve. Cook the remaining 12 ravioli, and serve them as soon as they are ready.

Notes

• You'll get 8 servings (3 ravioli each) if you prefer to serve these as an appetizer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (6 ravioli) | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 12182IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli with Rosemary Oil appeared first on Recipe Girl®.