Celery is very common and available year round. It's so common that you may overlook this special vegetable. Here is why you shouldn't:
it's affordable
high in antioxidants
low in calories - you practically burn them while chewing
anti-inflammatory
high water content - helps keep you hydrated
can help lower triglycerides and LDL
Celery is great for a snack, but it can be used in a variety of recipes. Let's take a look.
CELERY JUICE
Try a new juice that will give you a boost of natural energy.
3-4 stalks of celery & run it through your juicer
(save the pulp and use it in your next soup)
All you need is celery, but if you want to experiment with flavors try things like:
bunch spinach
ginger
pineapple
green apple
carrot
https://draxe.com/celery-juice-benefits/
CELERY SOUP
If you haven't tried celery soup you are in for a treat. You'll love this soup.
2 tablespoons olive oil, or butter
1 onion, diced
4 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped
6 cups celery, sliced ( about 1 ¼–1 ½ pounds) 1 extra large head, save some leaves for garnish
2 cups potatoes, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds ( about ¾ lb – 1 extra large russet peeled, or use a few Yukons, unpeeled.
4 cups veggie or chicken broth ( or 4 cups water + 1 tablespoon “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base)
1 cup water
1 bay leaf ( optional)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Add:
¼ cup fresh dill (small stems ok)
½ cup fresh parsley (small stems ok)
Stir in: ½ cup (or more) of sour cream, plain yogurt, vegan sour cream, heavy cream or cashew cream. (see notes)
Heat the oil in a big pot over medium high heat, and add the onion, stirring occasionally, letting the onions get golden, about 5 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, rough chop the garlic, celery and potatoes. When the onions are golden add the garlic and stir 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the celery, potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cayenne. The liquid should just cover the veggies. Cover, bring to a rolling boil, turn heat down and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the herbs and just wilt them.
Using an immersion blender blend until very silky smooth – OR if using a regular blender, let cool before blending in smaller batches. ( If blending warm soup, fill blender no more than halfway full, cover tightly with a lid and kitchen towel, holding it down firmly, when you start the motor (on the lowest setting, working up gradually) to prevent a blender “explosion”).
Blend well, a full minute, until herbs are fully blended, creating a vibrant colored soup. For extra “green” color, add a handful of raw spinach if you like or more fresh parsley. Place it back in the same pot over low heat. Stir in your choice of sour cream, or any of the other options. Gently heat, careful to not over simmer, or you may lose the lovely vibrant color.
To make the crispy celery leaves, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot. Fry a “tester” celery leaf for 10-20 seconds on each side. Set on a paper towel. If it is crisp, continue on. Adding a few at a time, not overly crowding. If not crisp, fry them a little longer. You want about 3-5 leaves per serving bowl. In the same oil, you could fry the nigella seeds until you just begin to hear popping. Turn heat off. Arrange the crispy celery leaves in a crescent shape. Spoon a little of the nigella seeds along with a little oil in the same shape. Sprinkle with hemp seeds if you like.
https://www.feastingathome.com/celery-soup/
CELERY FRIES
Most of the time you hear of veggie fries from squash, potatoes, and other starchy varieties. Try these celery fries for a nice change.
6 or 7 celery stalks (or you could use the whole bunch)
Celtic Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Avocado Oil
Optional: Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo
Preheat your oven to 415* F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash and dry your celery stalks. Cut the stalks into fry-length pieces (It’s up to you exactly how long. I like them about two inches long).
Toss the celery with avocado oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme until all pieces are well coated. The stalks should glisten with oil. I usually do about equal parts of all spices, but a little less pepper. Make sure you can see oregano and thyme on every stalk – that’s how I know I’ve added enough.
Lay the stalks out on the baking sheet in a single layer so they all cook evenly.
Put the celery in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the edges start to brown and they’re soft to the touch! I also like to flip them halfway through cooking (if I remember).
Eat them on their own or dip them into some Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo. Enjoy!
https://christinaricewellness.com/oven-roasted-celery-fries-paleo-vegan-whole-30/
HERB ROASTED CRACKERS
Control your ingredients and you'll feel the difference.
3 cups roughly ground flax seed
450 grams celery sticks, about 10 sticks
¼ cup avocado oil
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
5 grams fresh thyme leaves (from approx. 28g pack)
5 grams fresh rosemary leaves (from approx. 1 sprig)
1 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
Preheat oven to 225F and cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Set aside.
Place celery, oil, vinegar, herbs and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until celery is completely pureed.
Add ground flax and pulse just until combined. Let sit for 2 minutes to firm up.
Plop half of the dough onto your prepared baking sheet, smoothing out with the back of a spoon until it covers the entire baking sheet. You want the crackers to be about ¼-inch thick.
Once complete, repeat with remaining dough on the other baking sheet.
Then, run a knife along the sheets, scoring squares in the dough.
Bake for 2 hours. Halfway through baking, remove the parchment paper and flip the crackers. The baking time will vary greatly on how thick/thin you make the crackers. You want the end result to be crisp, crunchy with no moisture left.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.
https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2015/05/egg-free-roasted-herb-crackers/
WILD RABBIT STEW
Try something new with this rabbit stew. You won't be disappointed.
2 whole rabbits, wild if possible
2 tbsp English mustard powder
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp olive oil
4 small onions, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled & sliced into bite-sized coins
A few sprigs thyme
1 quart stock (beef and chicken work well)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mustard powder and soy flour with a few pinches of salt and black pepper. Toss all the rabbit pieces in the seasoning mix until well coated.
Heat the oil in a large, shallow sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the rabbit and brown evenly on all sides, adding oil as required.
Add the onions, celery, carrots and thyme, and cook gently until soft and fragrant.
Pour over the stock (topping up with just enough water to cover–only if necessary).
Simmer gently for about 45 minutes, adding water if the liquid gets low.
When the meat is tender, simmer the liquid a little to thicken, and stir in the mustard before serving.
Taste broth ad season to taste with salt and pepper.
https://theprimitivepalate.com/2014/07/17/wild-rabbit-stew/
MUSTARD CELERY GROUND BEEF
Here's a great idea for a quick dinner. Get those good fats by using grass fed beef.
¼ lb ground grass fed beef
2–3 celery stalks, cut into thin slices
8 –10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons yellow mustard (condiment)
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan on medium heat, and cook the ground beef until all of it turns brown. Stir regularly to get it to cook evenly and to break up any large chunks.
Add in the celery slices and cherry tomato halves and cook for 5 minutes while stirring regularly.
Break an egg into the pan and stir to mix it into the ground beef mixture.
Add in the mustard and garlic, and cook until the pieces of eggs are done (not liquid anymore).
Add salt to taste.
https://paleoflourish.com/paleo-mustard-celery-ground-beef-recipe/
LOW CARB "POTATO" SALAD
Here's a version that doesn't use cauliflower.
Spices for boiling vegetables:
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt (I like pink Himalayan)
Salad & dressing:
1 medium rutabaga
1 medium turnip
1/2 medium celeriac (celery root)
4-6 pickled cucumbers
6 large eggs, free-range or organic
1 small white
1 large celery stalk, sliced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp pickle juice or 2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp celery seeds
2 tbsp each freshly chopped parsley and chives
1/2 tsp salt or to taste (I like pink Himalayan rock salt)
freshly ground black pepper
Boil the eggs
Peel the rutabaga, celeriac and turnip. Dice into 1/2-1 inch pieces. You may want to cut the rutabaga
into smaller pieces as it takes longer to cook than turnips and celeriac. Place in a pot filled with water and add the vinegar, whole peppercorns, salt and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over a high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the rutabaga is tender for 10-15 minutes.
Once cooked, take off the heat and pour through a colander. Discard the spices. Set aside to cool down and then place in a mixing bowl.
Peel and finely chop the onion and dice the pickles. Add the onion and pickled to the mixing bowl with the cooked vegetables.
When the eggs are chilled, peel off the shells. Chop the eggs into small pieces and place in the bowl with the vegetables. Add the pickle juice (or vinegar) and mix until well combined.
Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sliced celery stalks, freshly chopped herbs and the celery seeds. Mix until well combined and season with salt and pepper to taste. For best results refrigerate and serve the next day.
https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/low-carb-potato-salad
Celery is a complete vegetable. You can use every bit from the leaves to the root. You can even grow it yourself by planting the base of the plant. Don't overlook this every day vegetable. You have a gold mine of nutrients right before your eyes.
Here's to your health! Happy Cooking!
Lori