Roasted Fennel with Parmesan Vinaigrette

This recipe for roasted fennel with parmesan vinaigrette is simple, tasty and adds a bit of exotic flavor to your table.

A member of the parsley family, all parts of the fennel plant are edible. This recipe uses only the bulbs, but you can also use the stalks and fronds like you would celery - chopped in salads, braised or roasted, cooked into soups or broth, or just eaten raw. Fennel has a slight anise (licorice) flavor; don't worry, the flavor of the bulbs really mellows when you roast them.

Like most vegetables, fennel is full of good nutrition. Just one cup of fennel contains almost 20% of your recommended daily Vitamin C, and also has plenty of iron, fiber and potassium. It pairs well with lots of different dishes - Mediterranean and Asian dishes are great examples. This side dish would be a great compliment to a fried or baked tofu, or braised seitan in mushroom and red wine sauce.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 3 medium fennel bulbs, quartered

• 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

When shopping for your fennel, try to find bulbs without blemishes or dark spots - you'll see on the ingredients photo I wasn't able to get perfect bulbs. If you do have an occasional spot, you can simply cut or shave it off when you quarter the bulbs.

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Cut the tops and bottom off the fennel bulbs and then cut them into quarters.

3. Blend the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and Dijon in a mini food processor until smooth.

4. Toss the fennel with the oil mixture and Parmesan in a large bowl.

5. Spread fennel on a baking sheet and roast 35 to 40 minutes, or until fennel quarters are tender and the outer edges are golden brown.

• If you're all ready to make this and realize you don't have red wine vinegar that's o.k.! You can try using other flavored vinegars or even apple cider vinegar - don't give up on a dish just because you have to substitute something out.

• When preparing your bulbs, be sure to save the tops and greens. You can use them in a salad, soup or stir-fry.

• Don't worry if some of the outer edges fall off when you quarter the bulbs - you can just coat and roast those along with everything else.

• Don't be put off by the fact that fennel has a anise (licorice) flavor - once cooked it's not overly strong and it's certainly not like eating licorice!