A salad featuring 3 superstar ingredients

I recently adapted this recipe for a salad with shaved fennel, manchego cheese, and figs. I can't imagine a better trio of ingredients. I have written previously about my love for roasted fennel, but I have discovered that thinly sliced raw fennel is equally delicious when allowed to marinate in a vinaigrette. Manchego cheese, on the other hand, would taste good on the bottom of a shoe. Dried figs provide the perfect sweet foil to the manchego's salty nuttiness. Together, these 3 superstars combine to produce one of the best-tasting salads I've had.

Here is my version of the recipe:

2 bags of arugula salad mix

1 chunk manchego cheese (about 8 oz)

8-10 dried figs (or as many as you'd like)

1 bulb fennel

Juice from 2 lemons
~ 1/2 cup olive oil
salt, pepper

Cut the stems and end off of the fennel bulb and slice it in half. Then slice each half as thinly as possible with a knife, or with a mandoline. Put the fennel in a bowl and set aside.

Mix the lemon juice with an equal volume of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl or cruet.

Pour about a third of the dressing over the fennel and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

In the meantime, cut up the dried figs into quarters and shave the manchego cheese with a vegetable peeler. Alternatively, you can soak the figs to rehydrate them (as described in the recipe linked above) or use fresh figs. Place the arugula salad in serving bowl and top with figs and cheese.

When ready to serve, add the fennel to the rest of the salad. You can add the fennel to each portion individually or mix the fennel in; it is up to you. Serve the remainder of the lemon vinaigrette on the side.

Enjoy!

Update: 3 squares vs. small, frequent meals

People trying to lose weight will often hear two conflicting pieces of advice: "don't snack between meals" and "eat frequent snacks to keep from getting too hungry." I have addressed this issue before, and my conclusion was that it probably didn't matter too much which approach is taken, but that it is best to eat when you are hungry rather than when the clock says it's time to eat.

Today, I came across the results of a study which adds to the evidence supporting the traditional, 3-meals-per-day plan. This study found that men who were advised to consume their calorie-restricted diet in the form of 3 larger meals (containing 750 calories) did not feel as hungry as men who ate the same diet in 6 small meals (375 calories each).

One study is certainly not going to "settle" this debate for good, but it is something to think about. And it makes sense to me. Snacks may help prevent excessive hunger between meal, but meals should be large enough to elicit a sense of fullness to begin with. Eating small meals that never satisfy is probably a recipe for diet failure. With this approach, you may not ever become starving, but who wants to experience a constant feeling of even mild deprivation?

In light of these findings, I'd like to clarify my stance on the subject. Eat meals that lead to a feeling of comfortable fullness, and try to space your meals at regular intervals to avoid becoming too hungry. Four to five hours between meals is reasonable. If for some reason you have to eat a meal late or skip a meal, be prepared with healthy snacks to take the edge off. The goal should be to start eating when you are pretty hungry, but not ready to eat your own arm; and to stop eating when you are full, but not so full that you feel uncomfortable, weighed down, or sleepy.