Celery soup that's healthy and delicious
Ah wishful thinking!
I wish that my husband would, just occasionally, put the top back on something.
I wish that Belco had never heard of trenches. I wish that the air con in the car hadn’t broken on the hottest day of the year. I wish humidity hair was something that happened to other people. I wish that gluten-free bread didn’t taste like cardboard. I wish that rice cakes were yummy. I wish that the Jasper the dog didn’t eat marker pens or socks. I certainly wish he hadn’t eaten the remote control. I wish that I had less work, more holidays and finished my day at 3 p.m. I wish that someone else would do the grocery shopping. I wish that I had bigger boobs, straight teeth and perfect skin. Oh, and I wish that there was world peace (obviously).
Above all, (ok, perhaps not above world peace), I wish I had a good answer to this question, but I don’t—. sorry Mr. Hopeful!
Question of the week: I have high cholesterol but hate healthy food. How can I make celery taste like fried chicken? — Mr. Hopeful in Pembroke
Clearly you and I both have our heads in the clouds. There’s being hopeful, and then there’s being realistic. Sadly, I just don’t have a magic wand that can turn a stick of celery into a bucket of fried chicken.
However, you have to get your priorities straight. High cholesterol can lead to clogged arteries, which obviously leads to heart disease — and impotence (it’s not just arteries in the heart that get clogged).
If you want to stay healthy and active way into your old age, you’re going to have to improve some of your eating habits.
If you hate healthy food, the trick is to change one thing at a time, rather than go all out and making yourself miserable in the process. A lot of healthy food out there actually tastes really good, it’s just a matter of trying it. Even simple changes can be effective — for example, grilling is so much healthier than frying. Now that summer is here, fire up the BBQ and grill instead of fry at every opportunity.
You use the example of celery — one of the ultimate “diet” foods.
We’re always told that it takes more calories to chew than it provides — I’m not sure that’s true but it wouldn’t surprise me. However, celery is also extremely good for your heart. It contains something called 3-n-butyl phthalide, which has been shown to lower blood pressure. It also stimulates the production of bile acids, which actively helps to lower total cholesterol.
As frighteningly healthy as Celery Soup sounds, this recipe is actually delicious — with an intense flavour and a creamy consistency. It’s obviously not fried chicken but try it, you never know!
Heart Healthy Celery Soup
(Makes 6 generous servings)
Ingredients:
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 large leeks, peeled, trimmed and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 16 stems celery (organic if possible), trimmed and chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes (approx)
• 1 litre low sodium vegetable stock
• ½ heaped tsp ground nutmeg (fresh or pre-ground)
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp olive oil Pinch of black pepper
Method:
1. When preparing the celery, make sure that you remove any of the tough outer strings — they should peel off easily.
2. Warm the olive oil and 1 tbsp water in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, leeks, garlic and celery. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and allow the vegetables to “sweat” for 3 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat. Stir in the nutmeg, ginger and black pepper. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, or when the vegetables (especially the potatoes) are cooked through, take off the heat and leave to cool.
6. When cooler, you can blend the soup. I prefer this soup totally smooth, but it is up to you! You may need to blend this in batches.
7. Reheat gently but DO NOT allow to boil — this ruins the consistency.
8. Serve with warm wholegrain rolls and top quality hummus.
