Sometimes the simplest, common ingredients, gain new prominence in your weekday cooking. Elevated from boring low-calorie food staples, this combo provides a quick means to really satiate your appetite in a nutritional way. The key: sauté your celery, and add fennel seeds. Keep your zucchini chunky to hold up to the celery, and take the zucchini out of the pan before it is completely cooked, that way they’ll never get soggy. This is excellent nibble food for while you are cooking the rest of your dinner– and it takes ten minutes or less. We’ve added an optional, fancier finish if you wanted to serve for company, or just yourself!

Directions:

Rinse and lightly dry ribs of celery. Gather them together and remove bottom inch or two and save for broth making. Chop the remaining bunch into 3/4 inch sections. Warm pan and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. When oil heats, add your celery and sauté briefly until the oil has been absorbed. Add your fennel seeds and continue to sauté for another several minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Coarsely chop the zucchini on a diagonal  in 1/2 widths and then chop the “rounds” in half. Add another tablespoon olive oil to your original pan and warm pan on medium setting. Add your zucchini and sauté until a little color forms on the outside of some of the pieces.  Keep stirring and remove from pan after another minute or two. The centers will finish cooking on the plate.

Combine with the celery and fennel seeds and eat up!

Optional Finish:

 Gently toss celery and zucchini with 1 Tbsp pesto. For chiffonade, remove middle rib from 2 collard leaves, roll, and chiffonade (slice thinly into ribbons).

Cook briefly in cast iron or non stick pan with 1 tsp olive oil until slightly crisped and add to top of vegetables.