Eating with the Seasons: What to eat when there’s nothing in the fridge?
Ever open the fridge and panic because there’s nothing to eat? That’s how I felt a couple nights ago because I hadn’t gotten to the store. But wait! What about the celery sitting all alone in the back of the produce drawer?
It’s easy to dismiss celery as a kind of nothing vegetable–good in chicken soup or a dinner salad but not much more. However, many years ago I saw a recipe featuring celery as the main event in a curried side dish. I had always wanted to try it and last night was my opportunity!
While the dish tasted great, it was also super easy and versatile (see options in the notes.) Better yet, right now—from January to March—is when celery is in season, meaning that it is at its flavorful best and most reasonable price.
So go ahead and buy a couple heads–since it lasts a long time in the fridge and then you’ll always have something to make for dinner!
Curried Celery (with or without brown rice)
Step 1: Saute Onion and Celery
- 1 cup onion (preferably red) sliced vertically to 1/4″, then cut in half horizontally (from about 1 sm. onion)
- 1-2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 3 cups celery, sliced on the diagonal to ¼” (from about 4-6 stalks)
Heat a medium, heavy-bottom saute pan over medium heat. Add oil and, when it is hot but not smoking, add onion and saute until lightly browned. Add celery and saute another 3-4 minutes.
Step 2: Season and Simmer
- 1½ tsp. yellow curry powder, mild to hot, more or less to taste
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 1 cup good broth
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Reduce heat to medium low, push vegetables to sides of pan. Add the 1 tsp. oil to center of pan and when warm, gently stir curry. Cook a couple minutes until fragrant, then stir into vegetables.
Stir in broth and salt and pepper, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 to 10 minutes, until celery is tender to taste.
Step 3: Adjust Seasonings and Serve
- Cooked brown rice
Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper or curry, to taste. Serve as is or over warm brown rice.
Serves: 2
Notes
Poor Celery! It never makes the nutrition headlines. But a lack of publicity doesn’t mean it’s a nutritional slacker. Likely as not, it just hasn’t received the research dollars of other vegetable celebs, like bright and bold kale, broccoli and sweet potatoes. In fact, however, celery has plenty of nutritional benefits. In return for practically 0 calories, it provides lots of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins like A, C and K, and minerals like Potassium, Folate and Calcium.
Being 95% water, it is also refreshingly hydrating.(1)
Perfect Snacking I like to munch on a couple stalks to stave off hunger while making dinner. But I always buy the whole head of celery and pull off a couple stalks because they tastes a lot better than prepacked celery sticks.
Make It a Meal When celery is almost done, stir in another ½ cup broth and another ½ tsp. curry powder and return to a simmer. Then stir in 1 to 1½ cups white fish or chicken breast cubed to ¾” and simmer just 3-5 minutes until cooked through. Serve in bowls over rice with a little of the broth.
(1) https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-celery