Leafy greens with are full of nutritional benefits. They include vitamins A, C, K, B complex, minerals and antioxidants.

Now include things like fennel, raspberries, wheat berries, fresh basil, onion, raw honey, and olive oil, and you have a real nutritiously good plate of food.

How so? Well, let’s examine some of those fresh food ingredients.

Fennel

Fennel is a hardy perennial plant, that is documented as an herb, and all parts of the plant are eaten.

The fennel has yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is a native plant to the shores of the Mediterranean.

Because of its highly aromatic smell and flavor, it has found its way, becoming naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks.

Fennel has found its way into culinary dishes and the medicine cabinet, as it has medicinal uses as well.

The seeds are used whole or are ground into a powder and used in many culinary dishes of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Middle East.

Fennel has 360 mg of potassium per serving. And Accor to the American Heart Association the more foods that contain potassium that you eat can help keep your blood pressure in normal range.

Raspberries

According to Lisa R Young, PhD, RDN, author of the book Finally Full, Finally Slim, raspberries are high in the antioxidant vitamin C, perfect for immune health. They also contain the mineral potassium which may help lower blood pressure.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose when you go to the bathroom. Having less sodium in your system can help ease the tension for your blood vessel walls, which causes high blood pressure.

Raspberries contain 186 milligrams of potassium per cup, which is about 5% of the average daily recommended value.

Fresh Basil

One of the most significant benefits of basil is its contribution to maintaining cardiac health.

The herb is an excellent source of vitamin A, promoting healthy blood vessels and minimizing cholesterol buildup inside the blood vessels.

Depending on the variety, basil can be green, white or purple with a scent reminiscent of lemon, cloves, cinnamon, anise, camphor or thyme.

Fresh Basil Raspberry and Goat Cheese Salad

4 cups of red leaf salad, or leafy spring greens

4 cups basil, fresh

1 fennel, thinly sliced

2 cups raspberries, fresh

1 medium red onion, sliced

6 to 8 ounces goat cheese

1 cup farro or wheat berries, cooked

Raw Honey Vinaigrette

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon raw honey

Make the vinaigrette by adding vinegar, oil, and honey to a jar, cover and shake to combine, and set aside.

Next take the goat cheese and shape into small balls, about 1 inch round, and set aside.

Toast cooked wheat berry in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Start building the fresh salad by first spreading the leafy greens over a salad platter. Next add the sliced red onion, then the sliced fennel, and lastly the chopped basil.

Chop the basil last as it can brown after the inner parts of the leaf act with the air.

It is better to tear the leaves apart, but if you act quickly, you can use a knife to cut several at a time.

As shown in the image, we collected together three leaves, rolled them up and made 4 or 5 slices across the rolled basil. 

The process can go fast, and the basil will not brown. Make sure though, the knife you will use to cut the basil is sharp.

After building the salad take the goat cheese balls, and roll them in the toasted wheat berries and arrange them on the salad platter.

Next add the raspberries, and drizzle the Raw Honey Vinaigrette over the salad. Plate and serve.

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