Eat your garnish!

[Fridays Child]

Apigenin, a compound found in parsley and celery, can cut the risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 28% (this story cites a study that puts the percentage at 21). Celery appears in my kitchen twice a year, when it's added to stuffing at Thanksgiving and Christmas. By itself, though, I find celery to taste somewhere between bland and mildly bitter. And I never thought that it had much to offer by way of nutrition, either. I guess I'll start figuring it into more recipes, now.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/life/healthandfitness/2009/09/14/10885096-sun.html

-snip-

Other than its unique taste, parsley distinguishes itself with its huge content of apigenin, a polyphenol with anticancer properties that are of great interest to the science community.

Many studies conducted in labs have shown that this molecule has strong anti-inflammatory properties that interfere with the growth of many types of cancerous cells. Work conducted recently in our lab has also shown that apigenin can significantly reduce the development of new blood vessels in tumours by blocking a protein called platelet-derived growth factor receptor.

By interfering with the function of this protein, apigenin weakens the structure of the blood vessels needed for cancers to grow and could therefore actively contribute to the prevention of the disease.

-end snip-

More at link.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. celery is good in soup

[customerserviceguy]

9. That raises the question

is it as healthy when it is cooked? Practically all the salads I serve at our table contain raw celery.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. good question, probably not as healthy when cooked.

[Hekate]

28. Some veggies, like carrots, release more vitamins from their tough cell walls when cooked...

Parsley is really tough. I used to use handfuls of it minced in soup, however, and still do when I think about it. Chopped celery (including the chopped leaves) actually has a nice mellow flavor in soups.

I do not know about how apigenin responds to heat, however. I'd like to know more on that subject.

Hekate

[EmilyAnne]

32. Same with onions, garlic and broccoli. The cooking makes it easier for our bodies to receive the

good stuff.
I would love to know more about apigenin and heat, too.

[tridim]

23. I like it in Waldorf salad and with peanut butter.

[madeline_con]

2. Let's hear it for taboulleh!

:woohoo:

[Carni]

6. YES! Love it!

I grow massive amounts of parsley!

[Ignis]

25. +yum

:)

[EmilyAnne]

33. +1

[eppur_se_muova]

34. The benefits of the "Mediterranean Diet" explained?

Lots of good Middle Eastern dishes with parsley. Shame it's only used to add a little essence (scent) as a garnish in most Western cooking.

[notadmblnd]

3. I like peanut butter on mine.

my mom likes philly cream cheese.

[virgogal]

5. Or a good hummus. Yum.

[notadmblnd]

13. i never tried hummus, but roasted garlic sounds good.

[virgogal]

14. God yes----you are making me hungry. I'd put roasted garlic in

frosting if I thought I could get away with it.

:-)

[BlooInBloo]

19. Straight cream cheese is more than good enough for me. Flavored is good, too.

[virgogal]

4. Another day,another study.

[rucky]

7. Time to break out the chopped liver.

It's a jew thang.

[Extend a Hand]

8. celery filled with pimento cheese or to add crunch to chicken salad

yum.

[Warpy]

10. Cooking celery tames the bitterness right down

and the holy trinity of French cooking, mirepois, is a combination of celery, onion and carrot cooked in butter and used to flavor all sorts of dishes.

Even chopping and stir frying with sweet red pepper and a little onion makes it a very nice veggie.

It's truly wonderful in a cream soup.

I use a lot of celery raw in all sorts of salads. I use it cooked in even more things.

[woodsprite]

11. Celery is also supposed to be beneficial for your blood pressure.

I don't know if it works, but I do love celery :)

[AsahinaKimi]

12. Celery is great...

I a little low fat or non fat cream cheese with mine.. its great!

[Gabi Hayes]

15. sorry, but I have to do this: Q.... what's the difference between parsley and....

p****?

A: very few people eat parsley

[madinmaryland]

20. *snort*

Yeah, that's bad, but..

:rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

17. *Hate* parsley. Happy to eat cilantro, ginger, and a lot of other garnishes, though.

[Fridays Child]

21. When my oldest kid was little, he called parsley "trees."

And he would ask every person at the table if he could eat their trees. I should ask him if he still likes parsley.

[BlooInBloo]

22. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. celery with cream cheese, yummy.

[pansypoo53219]

24. i LOVE celery. and parsley

cook with both. tho, my live parsley got trashed. my whole garden was trashed by rabbits. even ate my pepper plants. bastards.

[The Straight Story]

26. I garnish with Marijuana

:)

[voteearlyvoteoften]

37. Smile

[tabatha]

27. Braised celery hearts is one of the most delicous vegetable dishes

I have eaten.

[astral]

29. Celery needs to be bought organic and washed thoroughly

The non-organic celery is one of the worst pesticide-loaded produce items that exist. People who think celery tastes 'bitter' may have tasted the pesticides. I have had celery at potlucks and salad bars where it clearly wasn't washed good before serving -- oh,those celery sticks sold for convenience food in the grocery store for instance.

Celery is great both raw and cooked. I like chopping some crunchy veggies real small for salads, and include celery in that. In soups it is better in my opinion if you don't add it too soon so it doesn't over cook. You'd add it way after, say, the carrots potatoes and turnips / parsnips.

[Fridays Child]

30. Lots of good advice...

:thumbsup:

[BlooInBloo]

31. Wow - all the celery I've eaten in my life (a lot), and *none* of it has been organic...

right up to the 2 stalks worth I ate yesterday (just binged for some reason, with cream cheese).

Guess I'm lucky to be alive.

[Trillo]

35. try celery seed!

It's taste is "concentrated" bitter & celery flavor.

[Quantess]

39. Has anyone grown celery in their garden?

I am wondering whether it's easy to grow organically, or if it gets infested with bugs and worms.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[B3Nut]

38. I always eat the cherry in my Manhattans!

:D