Persimmon and Fennel Salad with Cilantro, the AIP Way

This salad comes together in about 15 minutes, no stove involved, and it still looks like something you chose to make, not something you settled for. Some days that is the whole win.

Persimmon brings color and a soft sweetness, and it is a source of beta-carotene, which the body can convert toward vitamin A, involved in supporting the skin and the lining of the gut. Nothing here cures anything. It simply feeds you well while your system does its own slow repair.

There is a kind of reverence in fruit that arrives only once a year. Persimmon has a narrow window, and catching it ripe is its own small occasion. Slice it thin, let the fennel cool and sharpen it, let the cilantro brighten it, and set it down where you can actually see it. Eating with attention is part of the care.

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb, stalks removed
• 1 ripe persimmon
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Swaps made: none beyond the source's own AIP adaptation. The fennel here is the fresh bulb, which is AIP-permitted; only fennel seed is excluded on elimination.

Method

• Halve the fennel bulb from top to bottom, then slice each half crosswise as thin as you can manage.
• Top and peel the persimmon, halve it, remove the core, and slice it thin.
• Combine the fennel, persimmon, and cilantro in a bowl. Whisk the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt, and dress the salad just before serving so the fennel stays crisp.

*Adapted from a-squirrel-in-the-kitchen*