Cooking in Season - Baked Fennel & Onion

Fennel is definitely something that is passed over at farmers markets. My sister calls it the "funky onion" because it has an onion-like bulb with long stalks covered in greens that look a lot like Dill, and it smells like licorice! Fennel is actually a member of the celery family and is a great source of Vitamin C. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, iron and folate. 

But how do you fit something that smells like licorice into a meal for your family??! 
I know, right?! But stick with me here, I've got a great recipe for you to try and it only takes about 25 min to pull together!

Baked Fennel & Onion

(adapted from an old Better Homes and Gardens recipe)

4-5 Fennel bulbs

1 medium yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup unsweetened Almond milk

1/8 cup vegan Parmesan (store bought or make recipe here)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 T vegan butter

pinch nutmeg

bit of salt

pinch of pepper

pre-heat oven to 425*

 get a big pot boiling on the stove and add a pinch of salt. 

spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray.

slice up onion and fennel into big-ish slices. boil them for about 5-6 min. 

drain onion and fennel and spread out on bottom of baking dish.

grate the garlic cloves over top, sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper and nutmeg. 

pour almond milk all around on top.

sprinkle vegan parmisan all over on top. 

dot the 1T vegan butter around on top.

bake for 15-20 minutes (until milk is bubbling and edges a slightly browned)

sprinkle chopped walnuts over  top and serve!

**This dish is great over a grain or a pasta. My favorite with it is Farro! **

Helpful tip-How to chop up Fennel:

cut off the stalks on top of the bulb. slice bulb in half and then cut out the core (the core is the small hard area in the bottom-center of the bulb). Then slice up similar to how you would slice up an onion into long strips.