Celebrate Healthy Living with Celery

First widely cultivated in Greece sometime around the 9th century, celery seeds were also found in pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb when it was first discovered. It was introduced into Asian cuisine sometime later and is also used in Indian and Uzbeki dishes. In America, many people enjoy celery raw and eat it together with raw carrots for a healthy snack.

The nutritional value of celery and its unique taste are reasons for its across the world and the Effective in the treatment of arthritis, it helps lower cholesterol, tone the vascular system and strengthens white blood cells. Celery also boasts a significant amount of Vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium, vitamin B1 and B6. Celery makes a great ingredient in most any dish because it can be stored for up to seven weeks and interestingly keeps much longer in a cool dark area than it does when refrigerated. Celery can be integrated into your restaurant menu if it hasn’t already been by adding stir fry dishes which make use of this delicious vegetable. One such dish is Chicken and Celery Stir-fry.

Chicken and Celery Stir-fry

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast halves (about 2)

1 lg. egg white

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. celery thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 3” piece of ginger peeled and thinly slivered lengthwise

1 Jalapeno slivered lengthwise

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. sugar

4 scallions cut into 3” lengths

Preparation

1. Cut chicken into thin strips, 3 inches long. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg white, cornstarch, salt and pepper until smooth. Add chicken strips, and toss to coat.

2. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add of coated chicken to skillet; cook, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add another tbsp. oil to skillet, and brown remaining chicken in the same manner.

3. Add celery, ginger and jalapeno to remaining oil in skillet (add additional oil, if necessary); cook, tossing, until celery is crisp tender, 4-5 minutes.

4. Stir vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in with vegetables. Add scallions and cooked chicken; toss until combined and heated through, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.