fennel is in season and makes a great slaw!

Fennel is a crunchy and slightly sweet vegetable popular in Mediterranean cuisine.  It's high in Vitamin C for the immune system, folate for heart health and so important for women of reproductive age, contains lots of fiber for your heart and GI system AND it's loaded with potent phytonutrients that are both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.

 image via latavola marche

I know I mention these properties of vegetables often and there is a reason: vegetables are loaded with these healthy compounds thought to be anti-cancer, anti-aging and pro-health.  You really can't go wrong or over do it with vegetables!

Fennel is in season in May & June so I've been looking for recipes.  Today I saw this recipe from the show Everyday Italian on the Food Network and I'm sold!  We'll be hitting the market on Wednesday for the ingredients for this seasonal fennel "slaw" with pistachios, thyme and parsley pesto topped with prosciutto.  PS, you could easily leave the prosciutto off and still have an amazing main or side dish. 

Check out this chart from Chicago Cooks to determine what's in season.  PS, Chicago Cooks is a great resource for all things culinary in this delicious city.

Happy seasonal shopping!