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You may have figured out from the title, that I am starting a new series this week entitled “Cooking with Astrology”. No, I am not going hippie, new-age on you….I promise! Come on, it will be fun…..
I have always been fascinated by astrology, and now that I am single again, I thought it might be fun to explore the different astrological signs…..through food. I also started to think about blogging, and what makes my food blog different from all of the others? What do I have to offer that you won’t find everywhere else? By this time next year, you will be able to find a full menu for all twelve astrological signs. But it doesn’t matter when your birthday is, each meal is delicious and healthy!
Have you ever noticed that most of your friends have similar birthdays? Mine do. I am obviously drawn to Scorpios, which is a good thing for friends. And I have always been drawn to Libras and Leos as boyfriends, and now ex-husband…bad thing 🙁 After the ex walked out, I started looking into astrology to find out more about our personalities and why things were such a mess. I wish I had done this research 25 years ago!!!
A Taurus (me) is incompatible with a Libra or Sagittarius…..oops! Sooooo, I looked into which signs are compatible; Cancer, Pisces, Virgo, Taurus. Well now I know 😛 The Sun Sign Cancer starts June 22rd and ends July 23nd…..perfect timing! So I have created the perfect meal for my imaginary perfect astrological match, and I will be sharing it with you over the course of the next week.
The sign cancer is ruled by the moon, so I went with a moonlight glow for the table. Pretty for dining, not so good for food photography! Those are my everyday dishes and a sheer curtain panel I found down in the basement, all lit up with tea light candles. I bought the place mats and roses at Target.
For the first course, we have a Shaved Fennel Salad with mixed greens, pineapple, homemade croutons, and a lemon vinaigrette…..
I was a little nervous about the fennel, but it was actually quite good. The sweetness of the pineapple works perfectly with the arugula. My pineapple chunks could have been larger! Light, simple salad that would be perfect with any meal!
Cancer’s symbol is the crab, so Seafood Pasta seemed like a perfect fit. The Pinot Grigio in the wine glasses was also a perfect!
OMG…yes I did!!! That yummy creme brulee is dairy-free 🙂
Yes, that gorgeous Italian Frittata is breakfast…..don’t judge…..I’m just covering all of the mealtime bases! I could go into more detail, but I do not want to scare anyone away 😉 If you would like to know more, just email me your questions. I would be happy to answer them! Based on this meal, I think Mr. Cancer is Italian…..what do you think?
Shaved Fennel Salad
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 11 minutes |
| Total time | 26 minutes |
| Meal type | Salad |
Ingredients
- For Croutons
- 2 Cups crusty bread cubes (1/2 inch, I used sourdough)
- 3 - 4 Tablespoons grapeseed oil (or any light tasting oil)
- sea salt & fresh ground pepper
- For Vinaigrette
- 3 Tablespoons grapeseed oil (or any light tasting oil)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- sea salt & fresh ground pepper
- For Salad
- 1 Large fennel bulb (remove tough outer leaves)
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
- 4 Cups mixed greens
Directions
| For Croutons: | |
 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix bread cubes, oil, salt and pepper together on a baking sheet. | |
 Bake for 4 - 5 minutes, then turn over with a spatula and continue baking until golden brown, about 5 - 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. | |
| For Vinaigrette: | |
 Whisk oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside. | |
| For Salad: | |
 Shave the fennel as thin as possible with a mandolin or sharp chefs knife. In a large bowl, toss together the fennel, pineapple, mixed greens, croutons and vinaigrette. | |
|
Serve. | |
This recipe can be seen partying at these link Parties!
those pastas looks sooo good
I love this idea – I’m a Leo but a ‘girlfriend’, so that doesn’t count, right? 🙂 I think it is interesting when your friends have the same birthday… I know a few people like that.
That dinner looks delicious, especially the creme brulee! I have to admit that I don’t care for fennel, but I will pin for everyone who does 😉
My friends’ birthdays are all over the calendar. What does that say about me?
Lisa, this all looks simply delicious! I’m totally in to astrology too, so am on board! I’m an Aries…can we still be friends? 🙂 Pinning and have a wonderful day!
Teehee – just seeing these posts somehow! I am a Cancer. Shocker, right?? 😉
I actually am one of those peeps that puts no weight at all into astrology but hey… horoscopes are still fun and this is such a fun idea and the food looks delicious so I am on board if I can come eat all of that yummy goodness!! Beam me up, girl!!
xoxo
Hi, wow this salad looks so good and we love salads in my house. I pinned this my husband loves fennel! Thanks for sharing. I saw it on natasha in oz.
Julie from julieslifestyle.blogspot.com
This looks and sounds like a perfect summer salad!
Thank you so much for sharing this at Wednesday Extravaganza – can’t wait to see what you share next week 🙂
Interesting combining fennel and pinapple…I may have to make this because I’ve never had these two tastes together. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with us on foodie friday.
I still say that is one beautifully romantic table! 🙂 I LOVE this idea of food & astrology; you’re right! It is so fascinating. When I first got with my husband (back when we were dating), I took a trip on my own and on the plane, I got seated next to a legit Scottish gypsy/mystic. Nomadic, bangles, amazing personality, a deck of tarot cards in her purse. As soon as I sat down she was all, “Love, let me buy you a drink. Seems like you’ve got some stuff on your mind”. Ha. And I totally did. Turns out, I’m a Taurus too. And husband’s Libran. And I knew that those signs were like oil & water romantically and I was stressing so hard over it.:) And we just talked and talked and talked for the whole 8 hour flight about my love life and the signs and astrology and how when it’s wrong (about compatability) it’s REALLY wrong. I can’t remember much of what she said now but it was interesting! I know a stranger probably has no bearing on the current state of my relationship but it was so nice to hear 🙂 So, I said ALL that to say: I get where you’re coming from. Completely! 🙂 This is a fabulous idea! Have you read Aphrodite by Isabel Allende? It’ll be right up your alley! It’s one of my favorite food/cook books! 🙂
ALSO: Thank you so much for linking up with me this week at Tasty Tuesdays! I’ve pinned this & shared it with my followers! Please be sure to stop back by the party and check out some of the other links!
I don’t think I have ever cooked with much fennel before but this looks really good! Thanks for sharing @ HappyWifey.net!
That looks really delicious! I featured this recipe tonight at Project Inspire{d}!
Oh My!!! Fennel is delicious in salad and the breakfast frittata looks delicious.
Thanks for sharing your recipe at Tuesdays with a Twist. Looking forward to seeing what you share this week!
Yum! And dairy-free? Awesome (because I’m lactose intolerant)! Sorry to hear about your break-up. Been there, done that–it’s not easy. Glad you’ve found an outlet to help heal your heart. Email me and I’ll give you “Transforming Divorce” for free. It’s a book I wrote about my story, but more importantly, it gives you ways to move forward after your break-up. Not that you need any…:) Visiting from SITS and love your site!
Just looking at that is making my belly growl! Do you wanna come over and make dinner? I’ll pay you! Lol! Happy SITS Day!
My birthday is in July and I really struggled with what my hubby should make for my birthday meal this year. Too bad I found this a couple weeks too late.
This is an absolutely great idea! Im glad I stopped by, so many great recipes!