Memorial Day is the perfect weekend to drag out the grill, fire it up and party with family and friends!

Fennel is the perfect veggie for the grill – it stands up well to the heat, captures the smoky char from the grill and still has an underlying sweetness that pairs well with pork, fish, steak, chicken and burgers.

We searched the Web for fennel recipes that included grilled fennel and we found a fabulous range of recipes to entertain your palate and your parties all summer – not just Memorial Day.  From salsa to salads to main courses, fennel is versatile and delicious!

Share a link below of what YOU are grilling for Memorial Day this weekend!  

If it’s not fennel, we will forgive you but you can share your fennel recipes too!

Click the pictures below for more info on the recipes!

For more info on allllll things Fennel Friday – Check out the Fennel Friday site!

Remember, not all curry are alike, so to be sure you get an authentic flavor use Jamaican Curry. My favorite is Grace Mild Jamaican Curry Powder available online or at any West Indian Store.

I’m a born and bred Jamaican and I cook this at least once each week and a scaled down (Less Peppery) version for my American spouse.

That’s right – I cook it twice just to be nice.

What are your favorite curry recipes?  Share a link in the comments below!

Ingredients

1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces with the skin removed

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

Juice of one lime

2 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper chopped (Leave the seeds out)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (I use fresh picked from my garden)

5 heaped tablespoons Mild Jamaican Curry powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

½ cup canned coconut milk

1 Cup Chicken Broth

Method

In a large bowl, combine the chicken pieces and vinegar. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken. Add the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Drain – Do not rinse chicken.

Add the garlic, thyme, onion, curry powder, salt, and pepper to the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a pot large enough to submerge the chicken lightly heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken with seasonings to the pot.  Add the cubed potatoes and two cups of chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add coconut milk and simmer on medium for 30 minutes.

Continue cooking the dish until the Chicken and potatoes are fork tender (total cooking time is approximately 1 hour). Add water during cooking if the pan seems dry. With a large fork or the back of a spoon, mash some of the potatoes to thicken the stew. Serve with White Rice.

Thanks to the Web Team at Nozin – get allergy relief naturally!

What do antihistamines, salmon, broccoli and citrus fruits have in common?  They are all good at soothing allergies.  Health practitioners have reached a consensus that the best antihistamines are not only found in the local drug stores but also in foods that contain natural antihistamines.

Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD at WebMD says that certain foods have nutrients that can help boost your immunity to help your body fight sinus and respiratory infections, which are linked to allergies and hay fever. Additionally, there is much evidence that eating foods rich in Flavonoids such as quercetin, Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants reduces allergy symptoms.

Prepare your meals with the following allergy fighting foods and start enjoying these natural antihistamines!

• Start the day with a Vitamin C rich breakfast. Choose from a selection such as Kiwi, blueberries, and citrus fruits.  Then if you are still hungry toss some spinach or broccoli into an omelet to further boost your Cs. In addition to being a natural antihistamine, Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals. Eat these foods fresh because they lose their allergy fighting abilities after being processed, boiled, or stored for long periods of time.  Other great sources of Vitamin C are – blackcurrants, red bell peppers, kale and parsley.
• For lunch why not try an Anti-Allergy Soup! An expert on herbs developed this soup to naturally battle allergies:   Boil an onion (with skin) and a clove of garlic. Add 1/2 cup chopped leaves and diced taproots of evening primrose. After boiling for about 5 minutes, add a cup of nettle leaves and a cup of diced celery stalks, and boil gently for another 3 to 10 minutes. Season with wine vinegar, black pepper, hot pepper, turmeric, curry powder, or celery seed. Before eating, remove the onion skins and eat the soup while its still warm.
• At Dinner time pull out the power of Omega -3s with Teriyaki Salmon a side of steamed brown rice and broccoli.     Elaine Magee, MPH, RD from WebMD says Salmon is one of the best food sources of the potent omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA.  Also Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, mother of a child with bad seasonal allergies and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association recommends fitting in fish three times a week for these anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

Eating a diet rich in these natural antihistamines may not only help you cope with the symptoms of allergies but if used all year round may even help to prevent the allergic reactions from happening in the first place.

Another all natural solution to stop the sneezing, itching and runny nose is Nozin® Allergy Master ® nasal spray.  Master your Allergies™ and do it naturally!

What foods help your allergies?  Do you have other all natural allergy relief tips?  Share them in the comments!

*this is a sponsored post by Nozin® Allergy Master® – Smart & Natural™ Nasal Care

As we honor and remember our service men and women that have served and fallen this weekend, we also gather to begin summer unofficially.

After the Memorial Day parades, barbecues will be fired up across the country & we have recipes that should make their way to your holiday weekend table!

We would love to know what is on the grill for your weekend – share a link below or post a link on 4virtu’s Facebook page to let us know how you are celebrating!

*This is a sponsored post from 4virtu – Organize, Simplify & Connect Your Life – Free Family Management Calendar

This week for Fennel Friday, we are featuring Fennel and FRUIT recipes.  Fennel is a natural companion to many fruits; the sweet aromatic flavor complements a citrus tang or the sweetness of apples and pears, plus gives a great crunch!

A Few Fabulous Fennel and Fruit Pairings:

• Apple
• lemon
• lime
• oranges
• star anise
• pear
• mango
• blood orange
• apricot
• pomegranate
• cranberries
• gooseberries
• black currants
• fig

Get creative – fennel and fruit go well together for tarts, salads, snacks, smoothies, or on top of fish and pork!

Need a quick snack?  Chop some fennel, orange sections and drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle salt and enjoy.  We want to get you in the mood for fennel and fruit so try some of these delish recipes that we curated for Fennel Friday.

One of our faves is the Sweet Quinoa and Fennel Pollen using Divine Desserts spice from Pollen Ranch (and berries!) and that is our feature for the week – start your day with fennel, your digestive system and palate will THANK YOU!

Do you have a Fennel and Fruit recipe?  Share it in the comments below and tweet it into #fennelfriday so we can share it!

Next week is Fennel and Pasta!  Get those recipes ready!

Normally, my breakfast is quinoa with vegetables or leftovers from a delicious meal the night before.  Starting your morning with broccoli and quinoa may sound a bit non-breakfast but it’s soooo good; however, for all of you that need breakfast-y style morning meals – I found the answer that still lets me eat my quinoa!

Pollen Ranch created a Divine Desserts Fennel Pollenspice blend that is….well….divine.  Divine Desserts is an aromatic spice blend with 12 spices:

• Pollen Ranch Fennel Pollen, Orange Peel, Lemon Grass, Cayenne Pepper, Sour Plum Powder, Star Anise, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Ginger, Vanilla Powder, Glove, Coriander

While I am still eating my veggies every morning, Divine Desserts has become a Divine Distraction for me and a welcome weekly morning treat!  Maybe this is the way to start every Fennel Friday!

Choose any fruit combo to add to this dish and you can even get creative and add some flax seed at the end.  I eat a piece of toast on the side – usually, Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread.

Thank you Pollen Ranch for providing the Divine Desserts … next stop for this DIVINE Delight?  ICE CREAM!

Who is the grill master in your house?  And what are your favorite sides for a barbecue?  We have put together some scrumptious ideas from our favorite foodies … Ready. Set. Grill!

Before you start grilling, check in with Housewife Bliss and Coryanne Ettienne on how to love your barbecue and get it ready for the grillfest.  She has some great tips to check out before the meat hits the grill!

Aggie’s Kitchen takes summer salads and adds an Asian twist with her delightful Last Minute Sesame Noodles and Asian Couscous salad - sometimes traditional is just what you need and sometimes a little twist is just right!  Imagine these salads with delicious chicken breasts with a light teriyaki or ginger marinade – YUM!

Big Red Kitchen did a review from Guy Fieri’s new cookbook and shared the Watermelon Pork Taco recipe - the pork is marinaded and cooked on the grill and got all kinds of thumbs up from Big Red Kitchen which is good enough for us!

Cookin Canuck has a marinade that she uses for steaks, chicken thighs and pork but for me, I love how the Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade Recipe sounds!

Smitten Kitchen – Flank Steak on the Grill

I must be craving steak because when I saw the Skirt Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad from Smitten Kitchen, I had to wipe the drool away!

Need some ideas to spice up those plain ole burgers?  Cooking with Caitlin created a Gourmet Burger page - take your pick of a Cordon Bleu Burger or the side dish that would go with everything:  Red Onion-Apple Slaw!

Nothing goes with grilled fish like a festive and flavorful mango salsa – The Hungry Goddess gives us a brief primer on how to grill fish and choose your type of fish and then tops it all with a delish mango salsa!

Can’t wait for dessert?  Me either!  Especially when the dessert is homemade ice cream!  Daydreamer Desserts is serving up White Chocolate Chunk Strawberry Ice Cream - it may not go on the grill but it is definitely a welcome guest at the barbecue!

Dishing Up Delights has a cucumber obsession currently and we benefit as she shares her cucumber cocktails – perfect with or without alcohol – check out the Cucumber Mint Lemonade and the Cucumber Basil Limeade - Refreshing!

The flavor combos in Guilty Kitchen’s Mango & Prosciutto Salad will be a hit and keep them coming back for more!  I love summer salads so use whatever fresh veg is local to your area to really make it outstanding!

What do you get when you have romaine hearts and a delish black bean salad?  Black Bean Salad Boats of course!  This amazing recipe is from She Wears Many Hats and the presentation makes a tray a these just perfect for a barbecue!

We could go on for the whole summer on awesome grilling and barbecue friendly recipes but since it is quite a bit early, we just wanted to get your inspirational juices flowing to take advantage of the recent warm weather!

What are your favorite warm weather recipes?

And don’t forget – 4virtu is free to join and gives you the ability to create lists, send the list to a mobile for free and more!

Happy Grilling!

See you Wednesday!

Can you smell it?  That is the smell of grills and BBQ’s being fired up across America!  Warm weather brings outdoor activities which for a foodie means – outdoor cooking and eating!  *Insert Happy Dance*

Cooking on the grill was something I grew up watching my Dad do.  Although we lived in the Northeast, he would roll the grill out to the edge of the garage in freezing temperatures and snow.  Rain, Shine, Winter, Summer – we grilled.  And it was delicious!

I recently started grilling again after living in non-grill friendly accommodations (but I had my grill pan!) and I have to say – I am loving it!

On Twitter, I asked our #HGEATS visitors to share what they want to talk about and @OrderIt suggested a GRILLING #HGEATS and here we are!

Grill, BBQ, Propane, Charcoal or creative uses of your broiler, grill pan and George Foreman – we welcome it all for the #HGEATS Adventures in Grilling on Wed April 18 at 12n eastern!

Need some inspiration?  The Hungry Goddess did an Adventures in Grilling Pinterest Board to get the grill juices flowing!!

All you need to participate is a free Twitter account!

Hostesses: @HungryGoddess    @Healthy_Goddess   @HGEATS

Special Co-Host:  YOU!

What: The Hungry Goddess Eats Food Twitter Chat

Topic:  Adventures in Grilling

Giveaway:  One copy of The Gardener and The Grill by the BBQ Queens – Karen Adler and Judith Fertig

When: 12noon – 1pm eastern Wednesday April 18, 2012

Where: #HGEATS hashtag on Twitter

How:  Tweetchat, Hootsuite, and Tweetgrid are the tools we suggest to optimize your twitter chat experience

Join us Wednesday and Bring your Grill Techniques and side dish recipes!

Join the Hungry Goddess Eats Chat Facebook Group and interact all week with the awesome Foodies from #HGEATS!

Raw Fennel is …

• Crunchy
• Tender
• Subtly Sweet
• Aromatic
• Clean
• Lightly Licorice
• Good for you!
• A burst of fresh
• An AntiOxidant
• High in fiber, folate and potassium
• An Immune Booster & full of Vitamin C

We could keep going but we want to get to the good stuff – HOW you should be eating your RAW Fennel!

Adding raw fennel to a salad, whether chopped or sliced thin on a mandolin, is the perfect way to incorporate raw fennel into your weekly salad regime!

Use it as a Scoop – I am currently munching on a fabulous whitefish dip and using fennel as my scoop.  Try this with hummus or a green goddess dip – the sky is the limit and a fennel scoop is far better for you than a corn chip scoop!

Just Eat It – Another great way to eat your raw fennel is on a plate drizzled with EVOO, sea salt and cracked pepper!

Smoothies – fennel is a gorgeous addition to smoothies both for its healthful benefits and flavor!

Happy Fennel Friday and enjoy some of our RAW Fennel Inspirations!

It has been a looooooong and busy week and what better way to rejuve ourselves than with Fennel?  And since we are all cooking for holidays or just for the weekend, let’s drink our fennel this week!

Dionysus is the Greek God of Wine and Celebrations (Bacchanalia!) and he carried a fennel scepter to symbolize the life-giving benefits of fennel … both bacchic and health oriented!  Cheers to Dionysus and Cheers to Fennel!

We have cocktails and mocktails, smoothies and spritzers all containing FENNEL in some form…

So lift your glasses and celebrate Fennel Friday!