Bacon, Cranberry, & Pecan Stuffed Celery

Sunday Funday is all about the celery today.  I saw the prompt and I was like, celery??  Really?

I use celery quite frequently as the base to many of my soups, stews, and casseroles, but celery is never the star of the show.  I almost never even serve celery sticks as a vegetable option!  So I was feeling a little perplexed.

Then I remembered some fabulous stuffed celery I had at a get-together last summer.  I didn’t have the recipe, but attempted to replicate it the best I could from memory.

The celery sticks are totally delicious and since there’s celery involved and lowfat cream cheese, we can pretend these are healthy and eat many of them as an appetizer!

Looking for more creative ways to use celery?

• Apple Celery Soup from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Bacon, Celery, & Pecan Stuffed Celery from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Celery and Kale Paratha from Cook with Renu
• Celery Steak from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gin and Celery Tonic from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Homemade Celery Salt from Food Lust People Love
Pulled Chicken & Celery Sandwiches  by Sneha's Recipe
• Slow-Roasted Celery from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Stir-Fried Shrimp with Chinese Celery from Palatable Pastime

Bacon, Cranberry, & Walnut Stuffed Celery

Adapted from Just a Pinch

8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened

⅓ cup crumbled bacon pieces

⅓ cup candied pecans

⅓ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

2-3 tablespoons milk, optional

Celery sticks

Cut celery sticks into 3-inch pieces and place on a plate or serving tray.  Stir together the remaining ingredients, adding milk as needed to thin the mixture enough to stir and spread.  Use a knife to spread the filling into the celery sticks.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-hour to allow the flavors to meld.  Serve cold.