I was wondering why americans are not too fond of fennel and anis, liquorice, etc…Maybe it’s a flavor they were not used to growing up. I don’t know. The first time I tasted a mango, a Cambodian friend of mine had me try it, I must have been 12-13 years old, and I hated it. I thought it tasted like detergent powder and I had to spit it out. Well, years have passed, and luckily, my tastes have changed, and I love mango now! Funny how the palate that had not been exposed to something, reacts in an “unfriendly” way.

I remember one summer in Italy at the neighbor’s house, she served a salad of oranges as appetizer and I was somehow reluctant to eat it since I never ate oranges that way, but I thought that would be a great idea only  if this would taste good…and it did. The salad was fresh, with a nice peppery dressing. I loved it. I have seen a similar way to serve oranges in Moroccan cuisine, and I loved the idea.

Mâche salad is becoming trendy again, and besides from its pleasant flavor, it has lots of vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxydants and Omega 3! So a great nutritional little salad to be consumed without moderation.

Ingredients for 2

• 1 juicy navel orange, sliced crosswise
• 2 cups mâche
• 1 fennel bulb, cut in small cubes
• kalamata olives

For the vinaigrette

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp orange juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp raspberry vinegar
• 1/3 tsp cumin powder
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Wash fennel, and cut in small cubes. You can cut the stems as well, it adds some nice color. Peel orange, and cut crosswise, cut off the border. Wash mâche.

For the vinaigrette, mix ingredients together. Add some vinaigrette to the mâche and mix well.

Place some salad at the bottom of the plate, top with fennel, and oranges. Add olives on top. Sprinkle with remaining vinaigrette.

I know spinach is not the most popular vegetable among many French people. Maybe the way it’s prepared in France has left them with a bad childhood memory, many kids just hate “epinards a la crème” which is basically spinach with cream. I can understand how the consistency and color are not very appealing to a kid, or even to an adult as a matter of fact.

The little challenge was to make something with spinach that any spinach-hater would love and ask for more. When people tell me I don’t like a particular vegetable, like cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, I just challenge myself to prepare something with whatever item they don’t like, because I think there might always be a way to make them change their mind…

…and as we say in France il n’y a que les imbeciles qui ne changent pas d’avis which translates into only idiots never change their mind.

For 2 people, about 6-7 pancakes:

• 1/2 lb frozen or fresh spinach
• 1/2 shallot
• about 8 large cremini mushrooms
• 2 1/2 tbs crumbled Feta
• 1 Egg
• 3 tbs flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Thyme
• one pinch chili pepper

for the yogurt sauce:

• Plain yogurt (I like to use the Straus) either low fat, non-fat or regular
• 2 tsp Chopped chives
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook the spinach in water for 5 minutes. Drain well, using your hands, squeeze all the water out. Chop them. If you are using frozen spinach, defrost in microwave. When spinach are cooked, set aside (always squeezing the extra water). Heat olive oil in a pan and add the shallot, brown for about 3 minutes, then add the sliced mushrooms, cook until the water has evaporated.

In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the mushrooms. Take another mixing bowl, add the eggs and flour. Mix well so that it becomes a thick mixture, add salt and pepper, then add to the spinach-mushroom bowl. Add feta, chili and thyme. Mix well.

In a non-stick pan add a little olive oil and using a tablespoon make little pancakes. When both sides are cooked, set aside. Keep warm.

For the yogurt sauce, mix all the ingredients.

For dressing the plate, put some salad at the bottom, then place 2 or 3 pancakes, top with stripes of salmon and at the end, spoon one tsp of yogurt sauce

This is a nice and fresh salad, it’s composed of a cucumber carpaccio, with frisee salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a chive goat cheese ball on top. I love the frisee kind, it’s tender, crunchy and looks pretty on a plate, especially due to it’s different shades of green. It’s a light start to a simple dinner. The cucumber carpaccio mixed with rice vinegar has a sweet taste and goes well with the frisee. You can serve a slice of Italian or country bread, grilled with a sprinkle of olive oil on top.

Ingredients for 2 people

• 1 English cucumber
• 3 tbs of goat cheese, like a buchette kind
• 2 handful of frisee salad
• 2 slices of country bread
• 1 1/2 tbs chopped chives
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

To make the carpaccio, slice the cucumber with a mandoline or a slicer, add some coarse salt and let aside for about 30 minutes, to remove excess water. Rince very well and remove excess water by squeezing with your hands.

Prepare the goat cheese ball, cut chives and place in a mixing bowl, (set some aside for the end to roll the cheese ball in it). Add the goat cheese and mix with a fork, make a ball rolling with it with your hand and roll in the remaining chives.

Mix balsamic vinegar with olive oil, salt and pepper and pour on the salad, mix well.

Place cucumber slices at the bottom of a small plate, add a handful of frisee salad, then add the goat chesse ball in the middle. Serve with a slice of grilled country bread drizzled with some olive oil.