Celery Salad

When I first heard about this Celery Salad, I had an automatic cringe moment. It just didn't sound like it would taste good. I am usually pretty good at figuring out what something is going to taste like before I fix it. Which explains why I have no fear of opening my pantry, fridge or freezer and just throwing something together. We grew up eating celery stuffed with peanut butter and dates stuffed with marshmallow fluff so my mind went back to that and I wasn't sure. I had the majority of what the video showed (@Katherinewants) and had other things to sub with. You know how you hear people say, "this dish has such a bright flavor?" Yeah. Me too. Rolling my eyes to the back of my head. The lady who made her own video of this recipe used those words. Well, this dish was one of the first I tried that the "bright" term could apply to. Here's my take on a bright, refreshing Celery Salad!

INGREDIENTS: 

Celery, 1 bunch washed, with stalks and leaves chopped

Chopped dates, 6 or 7 whole, pitted or buy pre-chopped

Chopped deluxe nut mix. Recipe called for walnuts but my container included almonds, pistachios, cashews and pecans

Dried cranberries,  about 1/2 cup or half a small bag

Sweet onion, sliced very thin, about a half cup

Lemon juice, squeezed from two large lemons

Olive oil, add enough to blend with lemon juice to coat everything well

Shaved Parmesan cheese, half of the container

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Blend everything and store in an air-tight container. 

This needs to chill in the refrigerator for several hours. The crunch of the celery, the tang from the fresh lemon juice and cranberries, and the sweet from the dates really was an amazing blend.

 

I ate this celery salad for lunch for a few days but it makes a great, "bright" side dish for chicken or pork chops.