Name: Fennel, Belgian Endive, and Carrot Salad, Dijon, Pompeian Grape Seed Oil Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 Fennel, bulb thinly sliced; 1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped leaves from one of the Fennel Stalks plus, small pieces of fennel leaves set aside for garnish topping; 5 small to medium Belgian Endive, ends cut off, thinly sliced; 1- 1 1/2 medium size carrots peeled and thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons toasted, chopped 1/2 cup Macadamia Nuts; Dijon and Pompeian Grape Seed Oil Dressing:; 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard; 1/3 cup Pompeian Grape Seed Oil; pinch of coarse kosher salt, plus more according to taste; few grinds cracked black pepper, plus more to taste

Jump to recipe

Fennel, Belgian Endive, and Carrot Salad, Dijon, Pompeian Grape Seed Oil Dressing

Re-imagining a recipe is to view it in a slightly adapted fashion, making some type of adjustment, enhancing the dish in some way.

Perhaps you do this too, sometimes maybe without even realizing it, maybe you add in an extra ingredient you happen to have on hand, or even change off the brand of a particular ingredient, testing its flavor as compared to another.

Today I am re-imagining a recent recipe Post on Spiced Peach Blog, Fennel and Belgian Endive Salad with Dijon and Grape Seed Oil using Pompeian Grapeseed Oil.

I am very excited on this fortuitous recipe re-imagining for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that in my initial recipe I was unaware that Grape Seed Oil is now available at many supermarkets, specifically, the Pompeian brand sold at both Shop Rite and in the baking section at Wal Mart.

Years ago, with its balanced, subtle, flavoring and high smoking point, Grape Seed Oil was an oil mainly used in some French or upscale restaurants and for the most part, at least on the East Coast, only available at food specialty stores such as where I purchased the product prior to Posting my initial recipe.

Hence, under the ‘Ingredients’ section in my previous Post Recipe calling for Grape Seed Oil, I also provided for other types oils to be used, mainly as I was not sure how many of you out there would either have it in your pantry or be able to find it.

I am delighted in sharing this discovery with you which came about through an invitational email making me aware of a contest where I might re-imagine my former recipe using the Pompeian Brand Grape Seed Oil. Ironically, being a Brand loyal purchaser of the Pompeian Red and White Vinegars for my everyday use for years, I immediately printed out the $1.00 coupon (mind you I never use grocery coupons) and planned an early visit the next day to the nearby Shop Rite supermarket.

My Good Luck began edging into the upfront first parking lot spot right at the entrance to the store and I even remembered to bring the coupon. Minutes later, I likely showed a facial coloring change to sheet white, scouring the cooking oils aisle the Pompeian Grape Seed Oil was no where in sight.

Making my way over to the aisle of vinegar lined alongside more oils, including a selection of Pompeian olive oils in assorted sizes and containers still no Grape Seed Oil. My heart sunk, the Shop Rite web site indicated this product as in stock. How was I to provide a Post on this products availability if it was not even available? Well, a big shout out promoting the folks at Shop Rite as they turned the store upside down, including scouring boxes on ladders at the tops of shelves attempting to find this product for me, no kidding, this even before I admitted the important mission at hand.

The Pompeian Grape Seed Oil, indicated as in stock indeed was, decoratively displayed in the Produce Section on a stand accompanying the crates of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and a few other assorted produce offerings, some fresh artichokes. On your next shopping visit if you choose to purchase Pompeian Grape Seed Oil you may still find it in the produce section but you will also find it on the aisle with the vinegar’s and selected oils.

On the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and assorted produce where the Pompeian Grape Seed Oil sits decoratively displayed one might query the placement believing olive oil as the only natural combination with this vegetable selection. In fact, Grape Seed Oil serves well an alternative select type of oil that works excellently with these and in many fresh vegetable combinations.

In this recipe, using the Pompeian Grape Seed Oil combined with the Dijon Mustard provides an excellent flavor uniting beautifully with the Fennel, Belgian Endive, and Carrot Salad. Did you know that using Grape Seed Oil additionally offers indisputable health benefits including providing a broad range of antioxidants, is high in Vitamin E, low in saturated fats, high in polyunsaturated fats and all in all just plain heart healthy fitting quite well into the growing much desired Mediterranean style diet? Well in fact, using Grape Seed Oil does offer these benefits in full range.

Besides the flavorful, healthful advantages that Grape Seed Oil has to offer it can also be considered being rather sustainable and environmentally friendly in that its derivative is actually the left over seeds and stems from the wine grape harvest that undergo methods including a crushing, distilling, and drying process. The system of this process is a fascinating one sequentially in sync with the many future bottles of wine beginning the stages of the annual grape picking for wine production in countries such as France where Pompeian obtains all of the processing parts towards the Pompeian Grape Seed Oil production.

Throughout the ages, many Europeans too have included Grape Seed Oil in their food preparation, including those among the culinary trade. Speaking of culinary food preparations, with my re-imagined recipe completed and immersed with delight on the ease of accessibility in using Grape Seed Oil more regularly, I am on to imagining new possibilities, some of which I may share on Posting. Possibly a fresh crisp radish salad lightly dressed, perhaps chicken breasts sauteed at high temperature enhanced with garlic, tomatoes, basil, some artichoke hearts too, really anything is possible with a little imagination, and of course, now made so much easier since I have learned this great find, Pompeian Grape Seed Oil.