The Pomegranate: Simple ideas for a super food.

It's Pomegranate season! While I have always loved pomegranates (they are the perfect replacement if you love sweet and sour candies), I have never been brave enough to try and deal with one on my own. They are kind of intimidating. But these past couple of weeks we have been experimenting with different foods in our house and so I thought I would try it.  Well, guess what? It isn't as hard as it may seem. Just requires a few simple tricks.

There are lots of websites and videos that will show you how to open and de-seed a pomegranate, but this is the one I liked the most (click here). This site shows you how to get into the pomegranate and get the seeds out with relative ease and without losing too many of the little precious jewels. The key to easy pomegranate opening is to soak it in water and remove the seeds with your fingers while it is submerged. This loosens the seeds and makes them pop out quite nicely.

Seeds after they have been drained and rinsed.

So what is the big deal about the Pomegranate? Well apparently it is super rich in antioxidants, even more than cranberry juice or green tea and provides a number of health benefits. Pomegranates or pomegranate juice may help improve blood flow and keep plaque from developing in your arteries reducing your risk of heart disease and it could also help slow the growth of prostate cancer. While more research still needs to be done, even the possibilities make this little gem a must on your shopping list.

So what do you do with a pomegranate once you get the seeds out? I have found that pomegranates make a great addition to just about anything you would want to put fruit on (this is if you don't just want to eat them plain, which is also delicious). It makes a great addition to a fruit salad as well as lettuce salad. Here is a couple of my favorite ways to use them.

1. Add it to yogurt.
        For this I used Kalona's organic vanilla yogurt and gluten free granola mixed with pomegranate seeds and raspberries. You can mix to your own proportions, but I usually follow the recommended serving sizes.

2. Add to a salad.
        Here I used sweet, organic baby greens and topped them with pomegranate seeds, green peppers, feta and almonds (you could do whole, slivered or even candied to add sweetness).  I topped it all with my favorite sweet apple cider vinaigrette.
                     
                   Sweet Apple Cider Vinaigrette
                       1/2 c. sugar (you can replace the sugar with Stevia if you want lower calorie but still sweet)
                       1 T poppy seeds
                       1/2 tsp Worchestshire sauce
                       1/4 c. cider vinegar
                       2 T sesame seeds
                       1 1/2 tsp minced onion
                       1/2 tsp paprika
                       1/2 c. salad oil
                          Mix all ingredients in a container.  Mix or shake well and add to salad.

This fruit is so versatile, though, you can pretty much do whatever you want or think might be good, so try experimenting!