Pineapple-Fennel Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing

The combination of radishes, pineapple and fennel drew me to this salad. The avocado sealed the deal.

I have made a few recipes with fennel and I'm always looking for something to pair it with - other than oranges (which seems like the most common combo). This is a nice and light salad that would probably go with anything. I served it with the Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Torn Fresh Basil and some steaks.

Both the salad and linguine were both featured in the February, 2010 issues of Vegetarian Times magazine as part of a Valentine's feast article. Almost every ingredient in the salad had some "love potion" quality which is kind of fun.

Pineapple-Fennel Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing Serves 6 Dressing 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. honey 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp. sesame oil 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds Salad 1 medium fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced (1 cup) 1 cup diced fresh pineapple 1 cup sliced radishes 2 green onions, thinly sliced (¼ cup) 1 cup diced avocado 3 cups watercress or arugula

To make Dressing: Whisk together lemon juice, honey, and ginger in small bowl. Whisk in oil, then sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

To make Salad: Toss fennel, pineapple, radishes, and green onions with Dressing in large bowl. (Salad can be made ahead to this point, and refrigerated overnight.) Stir in avocado, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Divide watercress or arugula among serving plates. Top with pineapple mixture.