My husband went on a trip to see his family this past week.  My son and I were left to “fend for ourselves”.  In the interest of “fending” we decided to make a dish with celery as the main flavor.  My Jim does not like celery…..we do.  I remembered a dish I made many years ago with celery and onions sauteed and combined with a creamy sauce of blended cottage cheese and yogurt.  It was very good.  It has lots of celery so it isn’t on the menu anymore.  Let the “fending” begin….

I used red onions with the celery, but any will kind do. I also added garlic chives (Chinese chives).  You can add dried or fresh dill as well.  Don’t be dissuaded by tasting the constituents alone.  Its when you combine the saute with the creamed dairy that this dish sings it’s song.

A very fast dish…ready in less than 30 minutes.  Low in fat, high in fiber….tastes great!

Wonderful over pasta, rice, potatoes, other vegetables (steamed greens, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli), over fresh summer tomatoes is one of my favorites.

You’ll need:

Makes 4 servings.

1 1/2 Tbs each unsalted butter and olive oil

6 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped (about 1/4 inch thick)

1/4 cup onion (any color you like!) chopped

1/4 cup garlic chives, chopped fine

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 cup cottage cheese (I use 2%)

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (not Greek)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped (parley, dill or even French sorrel-your choice)

Place a medium size skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and butter, once melted, immediately add celery and onion.  Saute until onion is soft and celery is tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lemon juice and chives.  Allow to cool slightly.

While celery is sauteing…..

In your food processor, combine cottage cheese and yogurt.  Process until smooth.  (You can add some of your fresh herbs here if you like for even more flavor.)

Stir together celery saute and yogurt sauce.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over pasta or vegetables of your choice.  Top with fresh herbs.  Enjoy!