Winter Panzanella Salad with Fennel, Grapefruit and Avocado

I never said it before this season, but I hate Winter. It's been slowly wringing the life out of me. It's too cold to breathe outside let alone work out or enjoy the hypothetical sunshine. One day it's a snowstorm with high winds, the next day it thaws out and the whole state is covered in black ice. The next day come the pot holes bigger than flat screens at Best Buy and then it's thunderstorms.

Weather aside, the worst part about Winter is focus on fitness. Salads and healthy snacks turn into giant heaping piles of potatoes and stewed meats. Afternoons that I would spend taking a walk with the dog or jogging to the gym end up being wasted away on the couch in fear of stepping outside for a minute longer than required. I know this is the worst Winter is many decades, but I'm convinced to live in a state where "Winter" means 40 degrees or higher.

So in an effort to steer clear from comfort food and to get back to healthy, I made this salad. Granted it's not the most satisfying meal, but it's fresh and flavorful.

Winter Panzanella Salad

1 cup of bread, cubed and toasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
1/2 fennel bulb
1/2 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
2 large grapefruit
1 large or two small avocado, diced
1 tbsp fennel fronds from bulb
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 bag prewashed mixed greens
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Take bread, day old is fine, and cut into 1 inch cubes. Lay out on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over cubes and dust with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes until bread is crusty, like a crouton. If you have a heartier bread, it make take longer.

Take fennel bulb and slice very thinly on a mandolin or with a knife. Raw fennel is quite potent, so if you slice it thinner, it won't be as strong. Do the same with red onion.

Cut the top and bottom of grapefruit so it can stand without rolling over. Use knife to peel the zest and pith (the white part) off of the grapefruit, exposing the citrus segments. Take a smaller knife (paring knife is good) and segment the grapefruit. That means cut in the inner part of each segment on both sides, to have a wedge without the skin or lining of the fruit.

In a small bowl, squeeze out the remaining juice from one grapefruit after you have taken out all the segments. Take out any seeds and add olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey and chopped fennel fronds. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine mixed greens, sliced fennel, red onion, grapefruit segments, avocado and bread into a bowl. Lightly toss. Reserve dressing til service. If you add the dressing too early, the bread will soak up the dressing and could become soggy. Serve and enjoy!

-Akemi-chan