Every time I visit my hairdresser to get my hair trimmed (and gray covered), she turns her TV to Food Network. She knows I write about, cook and eat a lot of food, and have been cooking since I was able reach the stove by standing on a chair alongside my mom and granny. Well, maybe some of that is a little exaggerated, but some of it is true.

However, that channel – I don’t know, I just can’t watch it. It makes me so hungry! And more times than not, I am starving when I get to her shop because I have not eaten properly. Having to sit still for a few hours and watch meal after wonderful meal being prepared (not to mention the luscious deserts) is torture to the extreme.

The CIA doesn’t have to really use all those water-boarding techniques (or whatever it is they do) to get the bad guys to talk.

All they have to do is starve a person a day or so, then turn on Bobby Flay running around his grill, sprinkling spices on everything, or Rachel Ray tasting her dish, and then giggling at its wonderful flavor. Not to mention Paula Deen with all of her um-m-ms and ah-h-hs! It is that bad.

The last time I tuned in, I was there long enough to watch several shows and have my hunger pangs eat away my insides. I watched the preparation of some mouth-watering, Cuban-style pork chops with mojo, some grilled eggplant, some kind of turnip recipe (sorry, but that one did nothing for me except bring back bad childhood memories of my grandmothers’ turnips), a really yummy-looking fried potato rosette and a tasty looking corn salad.

Which brings me to my recipe today – a tasty corn salad. I have a recipe similar to the one I saw aired. It is a wonderful side dish and goes with anything from pork chops to hamburgers. It also makes a great carry-along for picnics and such.

My recipe contains fennel. I don’t know if you have ever tried fennel, but if you haven’t, now is a good time to do so, and it is so good in this salad. I think fennel tastes like fried okra. Seriously!

Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet. It is a white or pale green bulb with closely arranged stalks. The stalks have feathery green leaves from which flowers grow and produce seeds. The bulb, stalk, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel belongs to the umbelliferae family and is related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.

Fennel contains a large list of phytonutrients, which I could name for you, but just trust me – it’s a very healthy green vegetable that provides strong antioxidant protection in our bodies. Try it. You won’t be disappointed!

Corn Salad

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 Fennel bulb, quartered, cored, thinly sliced and chopped

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1/3 cup canola oil

In a large serving bowl, toss together the corn, apples, fennel, and onion. Add the parsley and cumin and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, mustard and oil. Add the dressing to the vegetables and toss well to coat.