If the holiday season has left you feeling like the batteries are running low, you are probably one of the thousands of penitents who have pledged to eat more responsibly in 2009. Throughout the month of December, most of us hunch up our shoulders with a "Whaddya gonna do?" smirk and gobble up every tidbit proferred with holiday cheer. All that heavy, sugary food, topped off with the excesses of New Year's Eve can make for a very sluggish few weeks in the beginning of January.
Here's a salad you can crunch on during The Great Detox. It takes less than five minutes to prepare, and tastes virtuous without being punitive.
Cut off and discard the bottom of a head of celery, and rinse the celery stalks and leaves well in cool water. Chop all this into half-inch chunks and toss into a serving bowl. Then chop off the stalks and cut out the knobby base from a head of fennel. Slice down the middle vertically, then slice each half thinly. Toss these pieces into the bowl with the celery. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon, and add oil (olive or nut oil is best) to taste, 1T or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper, toss, and serve. You can embellish with whatever you think would work; I like thin shavings of parmigiano reggiano and hazelnuts.
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