Times are tough nowadays! Our household budgets have taken a hit, thanks to record-breaking inflation. It is getting tough to keep up with a healthy diet for the family.
One way to manage within the tight budget is by reusing leftover veggies. It not only helps you stretch your budget but also adds a healthy dose to your diet.
One such versatile vegetable is celery. Here are five creative ways you can use leftover celery in your meals.
#1 Celery in Soups
When it comes to soups, celery is a key ingredient in most kinds of soup. The aromatic properties of celery lend well to infusing a crisp mild flavor to soups. Additionally, the stronger fibers of the vegetable can also withstand the boiling temperatures required to develop the flavors of a soup. Here are some classic soups you could make for lunch or supper for the family.
The classic chicken noodle soup needs slices of celery in every spoonful. To make this soup, you will need chicken stock; a couple of cups each of celery, carrots, onions; a few pieces of bone-in and skin-on chicken that was boiled to make the stock; and a couple of cups of noodles. Along with that, you will need some dried parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, and some olive oil.
Saute the veggies with garlic and olive oil and onions in a large stockpot. Shred the chicken pieces and add them to the pot. Then put in the parsley, salt, and pepper, and add in the stock. Once the stock comes to a boil, add in the noodles and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
This quick soup is delicious and nutritious and will please your family members of any age.
Along with the classic chicken noodle soup, there are plenty of soups you can make with celery. If you have an instant pot, it becomes even easier and faster to make soups with celery. For more, search for “celery soup instant pot” on the web to find some delicious recipes.
#2 Celery in Salads
Raw celery has a naturally mild sweet taste and packs in a great crunch. That makes it perfect for adding to any salad.
Diced, sliced, or cubed – celery can be added to any fresh salad. Even if you have never thought of adding it to a particular kind of salad, try it out. I guarantee you will love it (you have to like the taste of celery, though).
My favorite experiment gone successful was a variation of a Greek salad with celery. I add diced celery to my greek salads. The briny feta blends well with the mild neutral-tasting celery. Go ahead and give it a try.
Aside from traditional salads, think of innovative ways of incorporating salads in bite-sized salad appetizers. Take a look at this Shrimp Salad Bites recipe that makes for a perfect addition to your spring/summer picnic accouterments.
#3 Celery in Curries!
If you are a foodie, you may have heard about the classic French mirepoix. This trio of carrots, celery, and onions is the base for most French savory dishes. But did you know you can incorporate this mirepoix in making a fusion curry dish of your own? Yes, curry!
If you love all things curry (and even if you don’t, try it out), you will love the light aromatic flavors celery adds to a classic curry recipe.
Most curries involve sauteing onions and ginger-garlic paste before adding the curry spices to roast the mixture. This is where I love adding diced celery as well. I find the celery really mellows the curry spices making it perfect for curry newbies or children.
Next time you are making a chicken curry, add some celery and watch the magic happen.
Alternatively, you can also add larger chunks of celery as a vegetable in any mixed vegetable curry or lentil curries.
#4 Celery in Side Dishes & Stirfry
Give a twist to classic Asian stirfry recipes by adding celery. Simply sauteeing celery with some onions, mushroom, carrots, and bok choy in some sesame oil with garlic, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce gives you a perfect side dish for any rice bowl you are assembling.
You can also use celery in several traditional side dishes that use stuffing during the holidays. Also, who is to say stuffing is just for the holidays. Make it for a nice roast chicken dinner any night of the week!
#5 Celery instead of Pita or Crackers
If your new year’s resolution includes losing those extra COVID pounds this year, you may be looking to cut down on carbs. However, we all need some snack options too.
Consider using celery sticks as the perfect healthy snack option. Pair them with hummus, dips, and sugar-free nut butter for added flavor. You will get your fiber and serving of veggies for the day if you simply replace pita bread and crackers. At the same time, you’ll be cutting down on the carb intake.
You can even fancy it up and make Italian cheese-stuffed celery sticks with mozzarella or cream cheese. This keto snack is absolutely divine.
All you will need is softened cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, Italian dressing mix, and mayonnaise. Mix it together and season to taste and scoop them up in quartered stalks of celery! Perfect for your game night snacks.
In Conclusion
There you have it – we have given you five different ways to include leftover celery in your diet.
Celery is packed with vitamins A, C, K, and essential minerals like folate and potassium, and antioxidants that have anti-cancer properties. This veggie is low in glycemic index and high in fiber.
Celery is also a very inexpensive vegetable. I am sure you will appreciate how easy it is on the wallet when you compare it to other superfoods like kale. Plus, when you have celery leftover from a salad or any other dish, you can upcycle it.
It is high time this versatile and inexpensive veggie makes it to stardom in your kitchen. Bon appetit!
