Well, finals are done and it is time to celebrate the holidays.  I am looking forward to spending the next few weeks with family and friends, resting up before winter term starts.

I want to start a new “series” on my blog called Food Explorations where I explore a food I haven’t cooked with a lot, or have never eaten.  The first entry is devoted to celery root, which I whipped up into a creamy Roasted Celeriac Soup.

Celeriac Photo by emptyhighway

I have to admit I had never eaten celery root, let alone cooked with it.  My curiosity all started when I read an article on different root vegetables.  Unfortunately, roots aren’t always my favorite, but I decided I wanted to see if I could experiment with ones I have never used in order to get the full range of nutrients and flavors in my diet.  According to Rebecca Wood in The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, celeriac aids digestion and supports the lymphatic, nervous and urinary systems.  It is useful for those with kidney stones and arthritis.  It tastes very similar to celery with a much richer quality.

It’s amazing how such a gnarled and unrefined root vegetable can turn into a smooth and delicate soup.  I calculated the nutrients in this recipe and each serving only contains about 115 calories, although you would think it was loaded with butter and cream to taste it.  So enjoy guiltlessly!

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