TAKING RISKS WITH VEGETABLES

(© vegalicious.org)

Everyone has that one vegetable that absolutely terrifies them. A few years ago, mine was beets, and then durian, and then the assortment of weird root looking things in my local market. One of those many soil-covered vegetables, was the celery root. I don't think I was ever "terrified," maybe that's an exaggeration, but I just didn't know what to do with it! I'm ALL about experimenting with food, but every time I saw it, I passed it and just grabbed a head of kale. A very close person to me recently took the plunge into the mysterious celery root (or celeriac) and I happily went along with him.
OK, so this thing looks pretty weird. It's kind of prehistoric with all of its weird knobs and confusing textures, and it smells a little peculiar in it's raw state, but DON'T BE ALARMED. There is a pay-off with this baby...just be patient and PEEL IT!

BAKED CELERIAC
(Gluten-Free and Vegan)

1. Remove the skin by peeling with vegetable peeler(which may be difficult), but I used a pairing knife (i'm crafty like that).
2. Cut and cube like you would an ordinary potato/squash. Soak in water for 10 minutes to retain color.
3. Lay out on baking sheet with a few tbsps of olive oil, fleur de sel or sea salt and cracked black pepper.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for anywhere from 35-55 minutes depending on size.

WAYS TO USE CELERY ROOT:
Celery root puree
(Boil celeriac and potato-any kind until softened. Mash with soy-free earth balance and non-dairy milk, sea salt and pepper!)
Creamy Celeriac soup
(boil celeriac and puree. Add so-delicious coconut cream, vegetable broth, onion, garlic and spices!)
Root Vegetable Roast
(Roast parsnip, carrot, and celery root similar to above with ginger, garlic and sea salt!)
Celery Apple Salad
(Cooked or Raw - Mixed greens, sliced cripp's pink, celeriac *sliced thin*, chopped almond, and olive oil)

(I just need to clear up that my lack of blogging is directly related to my current camera situation. I just recently replaced the body of my digital camera, and it broke AGAIN. UGH. I apologize for the unoriginal image! I will replace it with a better image as soon as I get a hold of a camera.)