Ants on a Log For Grown-Ups

I've never really thought much about celery and I'm guessing most people feel the same way.  I don’t love it and I don’t hate it.  It's just celery.  It's one of those vegetables you keep around to add flavor to soups and stews as part of the mis en place.  I used to buy a bag and it would last six months as I took out the few pieces I need here and there.  I never really liked to snack on it, unless you slather it in peanut butter and call it Ants on a Log, but that’s for kids, isn’t it? Nutritionally, celery has a healthy supply of vitamins, is low in calories and high in fiber.  Last year, I was at one of Levana’s cooking demos where she made a salad with thinly sliced celery.  It opened my eyes to using celery in ways I had never done before.  I started to stock fresh celery again and add it to many salads, always thinly sliced. I introduced my kids to Ants on a Log one day, but instead of raisins we used dark chocolate chips, they loved it! I realized all the potential these little stalks of celery had. We could put almost anything in them and why limit yourself to raisins for ants?  That's when I made these four new variations of Ants on a Log.  I hope this gets you thinking of other great ways to use celery.  Be sure to drop us a note and let us know. Hummus with Olives is a Mediterranean delight for kids of all ages.  A perfect snack for your kids when they get home from school or as a pass around hors d’ oeuvre. Cream Cheese and Sun Dried Tomatoes or Fire Ants on a White log was my favorite.  The mixture of flavors was so good, I might start eating it for breakfast!  BTW, I used a non-dairy cream cheese in this and you can’t tell the difference. Almond Butter and Craisins – okay, this one is almost like the original but  little fancier and tastes even better to me. Guacamole and Black Beans (or any beans) – the perfect starter to any Mexican meal.  If you are trying to cut back on carbs and tortilla chips, this is for you.