Saturday Morning in the Kitchen With Angela: The Marvelous Pomegranate!

Yay! I say hooray for pomegranates! It is pomegranate season, so get your self to a local Farmer’s Market and fill your basket with these amazing fruits.

Why am I so excited about pomegranates?
Well.. Have you ever eaten one? They are bursting with a rich flavor, slightly sweet, slightly tart. Boy, do pomegranates have a neat background!

This awesome fruit was so loved, it was featured in Greek mythology in the story of Persephone, daughter of the harvest Goddess Demeter. Hades, the lord of the underground was so enamored by the lovely Persephone, he kidnapped the beautiful maiden. Persephone ate a few pomegranate seeds before being rescued, so she had to spend several months every year in the underworld with Hades. Her mother, Demeter was so broken hearted about losing her lovely Persephone, she created winter and now every year, we are forced to endure the winter. But, is winter really all that bad? Just think of the delightful harvest of interesting fruit we have from winter and don’t forget about Christmas and snow!

Pomegranates are wonderful for ANTI-AGING! Pomegranates have naturally occurring antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals, harmful molecules that cause cell and tissue damage. Just so you know, these aren’t just any old antioxidants. Ounce for ounce, they’re superior in quantity and quality over other sources

So, what is all the fuss about this ancient fruit besides Greek Mythology?

Evidence is growing that those juicy crimson seeds contain health benefits far beyond just a regular fruit, New studies are seeking to prove that the pomegranate — or “seeded apple” — has nutritional and medicinal qualities that might make it the next super food. They’re emerging as a heavyweight champion among antioxidant powerhouses, possibly beating out green tea and red wine in polyphenols, tannins, and anthocyanins.
One pomegranate has almost half the vitamin C needed for a day, along with only about 105 calories and virtually no fat.

Pomegranates are a good source of folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin E. There are also lots of antioxidants in pomegranates, including flavonoids that may help to neutralize cancer-causing free radicals and help lower incidence of this deadly disease.

In general, antioxidants that come from fruits and vegetables and other plant foods are thought to be more protective than those that come from dietary supplements. It is hypothesized that regularly taking antioxidants in supplemental form may interfere with our bodies’ own production of these important compounds.

How on earth do you open a pomegranate without a big mess?

Fill a sink with water and once full, place the pomegranate under water and break open the fruit. With your fingers gently pull all the seeds out of the fruit and they will sink to the bottom. Take a colander and scoop all the seeds into the colander and Voila! You have seeds. You can either eat the pomegranate seeds right then or use them in a recipe or both!

Here’s a yummy Pomegranate recipe just for you~

Lemon Cheesecake with Pomegranate Sauce

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups macadamia nuts
1 cup dates

Cheese Ingredients:

Coconut flakes
3 cups cashews(soaked for at least 1 hour)
3/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
3/4 cup grade B maple syrup (loaded with minerals and alkalizing!)
3/4 cup coconut oil (when liquid, see 2nd step)
1/2 cup filtered or spring water
1 teaspoon vanilla flavor by Frontier
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Pomegranate sauce ingredients:
3 cups pomegranate seeds (run these through a food processor and then strain)
1/2 cup soaked dates (honey dates work best and always buy dates with pits in them, so they stay soft)

Step by Step Instructions for making the cake and Sauce

Soak the cashews for at least an hour or two to get them soft like cheese!

Scoop out a little over 3/4 cup of coconut oil in a glass measuring cup, and place measuring cup in a few inches of very warm water, but not reaching the top of the measuring cup. You could do this in the sink or in a large bowl. This is to warm the coconut oil from a solid to a liquid. Stir every couple of minutes while you make the crust, and it will melt faster. If your house is very warm, and your coconut oil is already liquid, you get to skip this step!

Place ingredients for crust in a food processor, and process until fine. Press crust mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.

Put all ingredients for cheese into food processor, and process at high speed until very smooth. Adjust to taste.
Pour mixture onto crust. Tap the pan on your countertop a few times to remove any air bubbles.
Put cheesecake in freezer until firm, at least 3 hours, but I usually do it overnight. The freezer step is important because it sets the mixture. Transfer to fridge and it will be ready to eat after about an hour.

To make the pomegranate sauce, process ingredients until smooth, and adjust to taste. SERVE with a smile and love!

I hope you have enjoyed this ode to the pomegranate as much as I have. Now, go eat your pomegranates!

You can get Angela’s book of easy to make recipes HERE and if you order it before the holidays, you’ll also get some AMAZING bonuses!