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Carrots: We all know that carrots are good for your eyes, but did you know they have anti-cancer properties as well? They have the nicely named carotenoids that are antioxidents -- chemicals that mop up the damage that results from ordinary metabolism. That, in turn, helps to keep your cells from turning rogue and hanging with the cancer gangs. If that's not enough to make you grab a carrot, they turn out to be immune-system stimulators as well, meaning you'll have fewer occasions to ask "What's up, doc?" Yes there's a little sugar in them, but also a lot of fiber to buffer it, so only the most sugar-restricted people should worry. By the way, the vitamin K in carrots is easier to absorb if you eat them with a bit of oil or fat, like a dip.
helps prevent cancer

Celery: Celery isn't just for Bloody Marys, although that's as close as many people get to this healthful veggie. Celery may have been used as a hangover cure in ancient Rome, but its real power lies in its ability to lower blood pressure and to keep your weight under control. If you have either of these problems (and they often travel together) you could do worse than grabbing a stalk of celery to chew on.
helps lower blood pressure

Recipe

Gefilte Fish

serves
prep time: 10
cook time: 150

ingredients

the gefilte fish balls
1 (1 1/2 pounds) fillet of whitefish and (1 1/2 pounds) fillet of carp or pike (at fish store, ask for whole fish, filleted and skinned. Retain the heads and bones. Many stores will also grind the fish for you)
2 large onions (about 2 cups when grated, don't tamp it down)
1 stalk celery
1/2 medium carrot
6 eggs, beaten
4 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup corn oil
1 cup matzo meal
,
the cooking
Heads and bones from fish
4 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped into 3 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled

directions

In a food processor or grinder, grind fish (refrigerate heads and bones for later use), 2 onions, 1 stalk celery, and half a carrot. (If you use a food processor, make sure you leave no large pieces of fish or bones, you may want to transfer the mixture, bit by bit, into a wooden bowl, and go over it vigorously with a hand chopper.)

Place fish mixture in a large bowl, and add eggs, sugar, salt, pepper, and corn oil, mixing thoroughly with a wire whisk. Stir in matzo meal, and continue to mix until everything is thoroughly blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more (longer, even overnight, is better).

Fill 2 large stockpots 3/4 full of water, and bring to a vigorous boil. In each, throw in half the fish heads and bones, 2 onions, half the celery, and a carrot. Divide batter into 12 patties of equal size. (Don't worry that your batter is a little loose, it has to be that way to keep your gefilte fish light.) Transfer each patty to a large cooking spoon, shape into an oval, and very gently lower it into the boiling water. Put 6 inches each pot. Lower heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.

Remove fish balls and carrots from pots, and refrigerate on a covered plate. Discard everything else. Serve chilled with red and/or white horseradish. Slice carrots for garnish.

Tips from the Epicurious test kitchen:

Because whitefish, carp, and pike are no longer commonly eaten, your fish store will probably require that you order them ahead of time and buy the whole fish. Be aware that you should order twice as many pounds of whole fish as you want of the finished fillets. Thus, to get 1 1/2 pounds of whitefish fillet, you should order 3 pounds of whole fish —, approximately 2 fish.

For the best flavor, we prefer a mix of all 3 kinds of fish: 2 whole whitefish, 1 whole pike, and about 1/3 whole carp (save the rest for another use). After filleting, this comes out to about 1 1/2 pounds of whitefish fillet, 1 pound of pike fillet, and a 1/2 pound of carp fillet.

To keep the patties very delicate, we like to form them with 2 large cooking spoons rather than making patties: Use 1 spoon to scoop up a heaping spoonful of batter, then use the other to gently push the batter into the boiling stock. Made this way, the recipe will yield more than 12 patties. They will be slightly misshapen, but extremely light.