Spinach and Cabbage Salad with Fennel Seeds

This salad is one of my new favorite ways to enjoy spinach. It is so simple to make and you can add or take out whatever you want, but you have to include at least the three main ingredients: baby spinach, shredded cabbage and toasted fennel seeds--that is the secret to this flavorful salad! Now, if you have more produce laying around, here are the optional add-ons that you can pick and choose from:

finely sliced red onions
green onions
finely sliced apples
tomatoes
strawberries
dried cranberries
toasted pine nuts or any nut you like

The dressing is just a splash of red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. This is a great potluck salad because it can sit for a long time and the longer it sits, the better it gets (in my opinion) because the cabbage starts to wilt and becomes pickled cabbage (which I love!). There is just something magical about the toasted fennel seeds--it's the surprise ingredient that will make everyone ask you what is in there that makes the salad so good! It adds a little bit of crunch to the salad and adds a nice layer of warmth to the salad. I absolutely love this Spinach and Cabbage Salad with Fennel Seeds and I tend to play with the ingredient add-ons all the time, depending on what I have in the house.

I've learned that in order to eat healthier, I need to have a salad at least once a day (at least that is my goal) because it forces me to eat a variety of veggies. And when a salad tastes as good as this one, I am happy to eat salad! Try it and tell me what you think!