Alisa Fleming ~ Isn’t this the cutest thing? No need to stick with shriveled up raisin “ants” on a celery “log, “when you can have their robust grape cousins rowing a celery canoe! Yes, this grape recipe proves that healthy snacks can be adorable and tasty, too.
Celebrity chef and registered dietician, Ellie Krieger, came up with this “active” grape recipe using in-season California grapes. I like to call grapes one of the “old-school superfoods.” They are overshadowed by many of the newly famous fruits, but that doesn’t take away from their natural nutrition. Grapes of every color contain a variety of antioxidants and other polyphenols — natural components in grapes that appear to contribute to a healthy heart – and contain just 90 fat-free calories per serving (3/4 cup). But if you can, try to purchase organic grapes. The Environmental Working Group lists grapes as a top pesticide fruit.
- 4 large celery stalks, ends trimmed
- 8 teaspoons peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter
- 1 cup red California grapes
- 32 thin whole wheat or gluten-free pretzel sticks
- Make a partial slice or two down the spine of each piece of celery, so they lay flat on a plate.
- Spread 2 teaspoons of peanut, almond, or seed butter into each celery stalk.
- Place the grapes in a row inside the celery, pressing them lightly into the nut butter. Position 8 pretzel sticks along the sides of each celery “canoe” to look like oars for the grape “rowers.”
