Celery Salad

The recipe for this salad was published in Cooking Light magazine a few years ago. I discovered it when my friend Karen made it for dinner when I visited her in Minneapolis. I've found that it doesn't appeal to every palate, especailly some of the palates that live at my house. But I love the crunchiness and combination of flavors. I made it for my lunch group last week, partly because I had remarkable amounts of celery.

The recipe calls for dried cherries. I substituted dried cranberries this time and liked them almost as well as the cherries I've used before. I've never thought of this as a holiday salad before because I've always made it in the summer, but the red and green colors (plus the Christmas music playing in the background) made it seem like a perfect fit for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Celery Salad
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
1 1/3 cups dried sweet cherries
1 1/3 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup plus two talespoons plain low-fat yogurt
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine celery, cherries, peas and pecans in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until well mixed. Pour the dressing over the other ingredients and mix until everything is well coated.