Winter White Salad
Happy New Year!!
The holiday season has come and gone and I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly relieved. Or maybe just ready. It's the same pattern every year it seems... the build up and anticipation, followed by heavy sigh of relief. With three trips, a half a dozen December birthdays and Christmas & New Years thrown in for fun, it became a season of Yes.
Yes, we can do that! Yes, please come over. Yes, thank you, we would love to come over. Yes, absolutely, we have time to get together. Yes, Little one you can have more piece of cake. Yes, Little one you can open another present. Yes, I would love more wine/cheese/chocolate/Baileys. Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh no.
The truth is, it's rather gluttonous and ridiculous for me to complain about excess at a time when many are in need of both the tangible and intangible components to the holidays. We are blessed to have an abundance of love in our life, and all the "things" we could ever need. So I won't complain. Rather just reflect. There were so many laughs, armloads of generosity and thoughtfulness, divine eats & drinks, and memories that will be etched for years to come.
At the end of the day, I genuinely loved every little moment of yes. At the time, I did everything I wanted to do - there was no pressure from anyone. Just us. Wanting to maximize every minute. Will we do it differently next year? Probably. Or maybe a more likely story is that by the time November rolls around, I will be back craving the frantic craziness the month brings.
We are starting off the New Year a little lighter. This salad came together simply in an attempt to clean out the fridge. We have done a pretty good job but - shockingly - the veggie drawer was still relatively full. I often think of how to add colour to dishes. This time though, given the paleness of my crisper, I had to embrace it. Crisp white turnips, fennel, celery, & onion came together with an equally bright and crisp lemon vinaigrette for what I believe would make a beautiful starter salad to a warm and comfy main dish in winter. I wish I would have thought to add some crisp apple or even bean sprouts to the dish for added sweetness and crunch.
So Happy New Year! I look forward to sharing more from my kitchen in 2014 & no matter what health kick I choose, rest assured if you offer me more wine/cheese/chocolate, I will still say...
...Yes.
Winter White Salad
2 celery stalks, large, juilenne 2 small white turnips, julienne 1 fennel bulbed, thinly sliced, top reserved, julienne 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp sunflower oil (or olive oil) 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice salt & pepper handful of dried cranberries parsley for garnish
1. Place the celery, turnips, fennel & onion in a medium bowl. 2. Add oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper & toss until well combined. 3. Garnish with cranberries & parsley.
