Back-On-Track Winter Green Salad

I am the first to admit that eating a cold green salad in the heart of winter can be a challenge if your body craves warm and hearty foods like mine does. That said, greens are always in order, no matter the season, so it's time to get creative.

This recipe calls for arugula, a bitter, dry green which pairs well with olive oil and parmigiano cheese. A lot of brands carry arugula in those plastic boxes, already washed. This is one of those "cheats" that I support — anything that gets your meal to you faster without compromising your health!

The recipe also calls for fennel, a bulbous, white, crunchy vegetable that grows in the ground. If you've never had fennel before, give it a try; it tastes a bit like licorice, and is crisp and fresh-tasting. In fact, in Italy, a slice of fennel is often served at the end of a meal to refresh your palate before moving on to dessert.

It's also healthy, delivering 17% of your recommended daily amount of Vitamin C and 10% of your Potassium.

If you like shopping at your local farmer's market, which I highly recommend, this salad makes use of ingredients you can find in late fall. If you're a supermarket-goer, you shouldn't have any trouble finding arugula or fennel year-round.

Ingredients:

• Fresh arugula, one bunch

• Half of a fennel bulb, sliced into slivers

• Parmigiano cheese shavings (You can shave your cheese with a mandolin or the wide section on your grater.)

Mix these ingredients, then toss with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.

The peppery, bitterness of the arugula is nicely offset by the Parmigiano cheese, which also adds saltiness.

I think the freshness of the fennel is what makes this salad so healthy-tasting. It's also light, which is great for in between classes or rehearsals, and late at night when you need something but don't want to fill yourself too much.