Celery. It sounds so yummy with that crunching sound, but to me it tastes like how I would imagine battery acid would taste. Weird I know. It just burns so much. It saddens me.
The good thing is that celery is not a nutritional powerhouse. For me it just has "diet" connotations although I like it in a stir-fry type prep versus raw.
I don't think I've ever had a raw beet It's worth a shot!
I did try a chocolate cake once that had beets as the secret ingredient. The baker said no one could tell it had beets in it, which she was proud of, but I recognized the earthy flavor right away. But it was still delicious
I just discovered beets a few months ago and boy am I glad I did. They are DELICIOUS. I slice them thin, and place on a roasting tray covered with cooking spray, sprinkle them with some sea salt and coat with a little more spray. I then cook them in the oven till crispy and they are fabulous.
I've heard of people shredding them and putting them in salads. I must give that a try.
As far as celery, for years I avoided eating it raw (always used it in soups and chilis though) as it reminded me of the typical *diet* food and held no appeal to me. But one day I gave it a try and now I love munching on it raw. The inner stalks are much better and sweeter than the outer ones. I save the outer stalks for cooking and munch on the inner ones. Sometimes I'll dip it in salsa. It's also the perfect snack to put in my pocket book as it travels well. Nutrition wise it doesn't have much going for it, but it without a doubt fills me up.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 06-07-2010 at 10:09 PM.
Raw beet salad is awesome. Grate some beets (umm this is messy, hope you have a food processor), apples, carrots and ginger. Add in a little olive oil, sprinkle with some sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Mix and eat!
As for celery, I never cared much for celery, it was ok but now I totally love celery. I'm sad because I've been eating salads for dinner and have no celery to go with it.
We have a spiral vegetable cutter and my DW used it to cut beets once. Good thing the police didn't stop by. It looked bad That thing is great for salads BTW.
I thought I would have no trouble coming up with a vegetable I hated, but I couldn't think of one. My trouble is incorporating them into my diet. They seem to take so long to prepare and then to cook. I need to find some good shortcuts.
I eat tons of veggies but they don't take long to prepare at all. Now that it is summer, I'm not doing any oven roasting but I have a microwave steamer that is very easy to use. I basically chop up whatever veggie, throw it in the steamer and 3-5 minutes later, I have fresh steamed veggies. I also may chop up a quick salad or what not.
I thought I would have no trouble coming up with a vegetable I hated, but I couldn't think of one. My trouble is incorporating them into my diet. They seem to take so long to prepare and then to cook. I need to find some good shortcuts.
In order for me to adhere to a healthy lifestyle, it is ESSENTIAL for me to enjoy what I eat. My foods must be very tasty and delicious- so therefore any time I spend preparing my foods is time VERY well spent. I think it's real important to recognize that eating will is worthy of the effort, time and thought that's put into it.
That being said, there are a few short cuts. Such as making a big pot of ratatouille that lasts me all week. It takes time initially, but than I've got healthy delicious food all week. Stir fries will also keep for a few days. Veggie soups I can also make in advance and a large amount of it. Chilis as well.
Can of black beans, can of kidney beans and maybe a can of pinto beans (rinse these). Large can of diced tomatoes, include sauce. Add some chili powder and then add diced veggies of your choosing: onions, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, go crazy. you can also add pumpkin puree to get it creamy.
I just simmer it on the stove until the veggies are soft.
How do you make your chilis? If it is too time consuming to write just point me towards a website or previous post.
Thanks,
I make it very similar to Nelie.
I start out sauteing diced onion, diced carrot, diced red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, diced celery in a little oil in a large pot. Then I'll add some crushed fresh garlic, a couple of cans of stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes. I add a couple of cans of drained black beans. Some cayenne pepper, lots of chili powder, cumin, onion powder and let simmer for a bit.
I most often leave it like that, but have added in cubed chicken. I've also added in Morning Star Farms Veggie crumbles.
I LOVE beets! Sweet and tart, though, like in pickled beets or Harvard beets 
It's worth a shot!
That thing is great for salads BTW.
