Pomegranates - Super Delicious Super Food

Maybe it is just me but, I find it hard to get excited about the fresh fruit that is available this time of year.  I feel limited to a rotation of cold storage apples, oranges, or bananas.  This is precisely why I was so motivated to pick and freeze fruit during the summer.  I enjoy having a variety of frozen fruits on hand but prefer to eat fresh fruit as often as possible.  That is why I was so excited a few weeks ago to walk into the grocery store and see a display of fresh pomegranates 2 for $5.  This time of year the price for the fruit comes down and I like to pick up one or two a week to eat alone or use to jazz up other food.

Pomegranate's light red leathery exteriors unassumingly enclose hundreds of ruby colored juice filled seeds (arils). They take a little effort to eat but it is absolutely worth it.  The juice is sweet and rich, vitamin packed, and when you eat the arils whole they are full of fiber.  I like to sort of peel the leathery skin away from the clusters of arils and then gently pop them out onto a cutting board or a bowl.  The juice can stain so it is best to wear an apron or dark clothing when seeding a pomegranate.  (It is possible to purchase arils that have already been removed from the skin but I have found them to be pricey and past their peak every time I have tried them.)  Once you have liberated them, eat the arils alone or get creative.  

Here are some ideas:

For breakfast: The other morning I was feeling the need to try something new with my oatmeal.  I have mentioned before how much I like oatmeal in the morning both plain with cinnamon or as a platform for other flavors.  This week I poked around in my freezer and found a bag of nectarines that I froze a few months ago.  I mixed them into my pot with pomegranate balsamic vinegar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and just a pinch of cardamom.  It smelled amazing but needed some color and texture.  I seeded just one section of a pomegranate and sprinkled the seeds on top of the finished oatmeal.  The result was a bowl of warm spicy goodness that definitely chased away the winter blues.

A Snack: Fat Free Greek Yogurt with pomegranate arils and a drizzle of amazing raspberry syrup from Four Seasons Gourmet Foods (seriously good if you are able to get your hands on some).  I made this for my son but almost kept it for myself!

Lunch or Dinner: Top a plain salad with pomegranate arils.  

I had some mixed greens that needed to be used up but not much else to go with them.  I sliced some green onion and tossed the salad with a homemade vinaigrette inspired by Kernels and Seeds last post.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

2 TB olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 TB balsamic vinegar

1 TB pomegranate balsamic vinegar

1 TB dijon mustard

salt and pepper

I poured it all in a small mason jar and shook to combine. I only needed about 1 1/2 TB to dress the salad so there is a lot left for future salads or marinades.  YUM!

However you eat a pomegranate I hope you will have fun.  Not only is it beautiful and delicious, it is a SUPER FOOD!  I for one can use as much "super" as I can get my hands on.

  

For more fun facts and recipes check out the POM Council website at pomegranates.org.