Simple Celery and Almond Salad
Celery has never really enjoyed the starring role in dishes that other vegetables do. It’s not that celery isn’t worthy. The vegetable is inexpensive, stays fresh for weeks, has a mild and pleasing flavor, a nice crunch and is a great source of vitamins and fiber. But it’s sort of the Chris Cooper of the kitchen, always an amazing supporting actor but never a leading man.
With this salad, celery finally gets to be the star. You’ll be surprised how tasty the crisp, clean flavor of celery is, especially during the hot days of summer. The leaves on the top of a celery stalk are usually discarded and this is a shame. Filled with vitamin C, calcium and a lot flavor, the leaves can be added to the salad as well. Almonds are a key ingredient, adding the richness that celery lacks. The parsley dressing adds additional flavor and fat. These ingredients are incredibly easy to find at any grocery store and take only a few minutes to toss together. The recipe is a simple way to both stay on track and try something new during the Primal Blueprint Health Challenge.
Though keep in mind that while this celery salad can be a quick and satisfying afternoon snack, it doesn’t necessarily add up to a full meal. You’ll want to pair it with some serious protein. Last week, wild caught Alaskan salmon was mentioned as a great source of Omega 3’s. It’s also the perfect protein to serve alongside this salad. Crunchy, light celery with rich, fatty salmon hits all the right flavor notes.
Ingredients:
1 bunch (12-15 stalks) celery, plus leaves
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Directions:
Chop the celery stalks and leaves into bite-sized pieces. Mix together with almonds.
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing on top of celery and almonds and stir well. Makes approximately 4 servings.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
Sounds Awesome! Can’t wait to try it.
imma try this. maybe add some chicken.
I was literally just eyeballing the celery in my fridge before I read this and thinking “hmmm, but I’m not in the mood for cream cheese or nut butter with it”. Nice recipe!
Looks too good to be that simple… what’s the catch??
Comment
mmmmm, going to make this tonight with some grilled chicken!
I know what’s on the menu this week!
Great to find another use for celery besides lathering it up with peanutbutter (yuk!)…almondsbetter.
Too bad I dislike celery so much. Other than the celery, the salad looks great!
Even I could make that. Thanks.
Definitely sounds good with salmon…mmmm
Brilliant!
This sounds much better than the average celery stick w/almond butter!
How about adding a little apple and raisins, kind of a spin on a waldorf salad.
I have discovered the joy of celery after having gone Primal. I love it as a company to my morning omelet, and now I have something new (and promising) to try. Celery possesses some hidden virtues too
Murat
Celery? Really? That’s one I’ve yet to embrace, I have to admit. My wife loves it, though. Maybe she’ll convert me one of these days…
A recipe I enjoy with celery (even better accompanied with onions) is to dice em’ up, fry them in with my (nitrate-free) bacon and eggs and add some mustard (Guilden’s Spicy Brown) to the end result.
Sounds simple and refreshing. Gotta get my celery on!
Another recipe to add to the recipe book!
I heart easy recipes.
That looks AMAZING! I’ve got to get away from eating salad out of the bag. Nobody likes salad straight from the bag! =(~
I love celery!
Not very appealing to me, I’m afraid.
Any good way to slice almonds from whole? I’ve got a grinder that does a good job at turning them into flour, but nothing to slice them (save a chef’s knife that would make it a dangerous and time-consuming job.)
I buy them pre-sliced in the store… they’re actually cheaper per pound than whole ones so that’s probably your best bet.
Too bad celery tastes extremely bitter to me.
Hey, Mark, did you arrange that yourself? Good job if you did!
Mmmm… Fish oil
Never been a fan of C elery, except with peanut butter, and even then I always thought bleh.
This looks great! I love celery, and I am happy to see you using most of the stalk. It seems that too many people throw away the great leaves.
Thanks for this recipe – I always seem to have leftover celery – you know how you buy it for a recipe that calls for 1/2 c – then what to do with the leftovers? I’m always looking for ways to up the veggies.
Looks tasty! Now that’s a healthy salad!