Pomegranates

 

My weekly CSA inspired another blog. Delivered to my door were three pretty pomegranates. The first order of business was figuring out how to get the juicy, delicious seeds out. In typical fashion, I proceeded without research. I cut one in half and then used a grapefruit spoon to scrape the seeds out. It was successful, but messy, so I recommend putting a bowl down in the sink and working there.

For the remaining pomegranates, I did a little research before cracking them open. The most recommended method I found is this: 1, cut the crown off the pomegranate and then cut into sections 2, put the sections in a bowl of water and then roll out the juice sacs using your fingers 3, strain the juice sacs from the water. This method seemed like too much work so I never tried it. The traditional method is to cut off the crown, score the skin into quarters, break the sections apart, scoop the seed clusters into a bowel and pick out any remaining pith. This method worked great. It was cleaner than when I cut the pomegranate in half as that caused juice to leak everywhere.

Now that the tasty little juice sacs are free, there are endless possibilities. I used mine to top oatmeal, salads, yogurt and ice cream. I also found some recipes on pomegranates.org that sound delicious. I think I will try the muffins soon.

But is it worth going to all the trouble? Yes! One pomegranate has a whopping 11 g of fiber, almost 50% of your daily value of vitamin C and is also high if vitamin K and folate. Hurry, they are only around from early fall to early winter. However, thank to the popularity of the POM juices you can enjoy the delicious flavor and healthy dose of antioxidants year round.

Super Easy Soup

It’s crock pot season! This is a “use what you have” creation that turned out delish so I thought I would share it with you.

Ingredients:

3 red potatoes, chopped small

1 leek, finely chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3-4 large cloves of garlic, diced

1 can white beans

1 can garlic roasted tomatoes

1 box organic chicken broth

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee the potatoes, leek and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until the potatoes are slightly browned

Add the sautéed vegetables along with the can of beans and tomatoes (both un-drained) and the broth to a crock pot set to low.

Let it cook, covered, all day

Serve with either shredded cheese and a few turns of freshly grated pepper or with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of pine nuts!

Helpful tool for Thanksgiving

 

Persimmons

The featured food this week is the persimmon! These pretty fruits showed up in my CSA this week. While I have eaten them before I had no experience preparing them. Here is what I learned...

Persimmons originated in ancient China, but are now widely grown in California. Their glossy orange-red skin is not only pleasing to the eye but provides us with an excellent source of vitamin A, a good source of vitamin C and a good source of fiber.

Here is the nutrition breakdown:

1 medium persimmon contains 120 calories, no fat, and 6 grams of fiber. That means one persimmon meets 21% of your daily fiber needs!

Fuya

There are 2 types of persimmons commercially available. The most common the Hachiya, which has an acorn like shape and remains tart until it becomes very soft and ripe. The second (and the kind I had this week) is the Fuya. These look like a squashed tomato (or an heirloom tomato). They are smaller, sweeter, and unlike the other type, are edible when still firm.



Hachiya



Persimmons are available from September to December. But, their peak availability is right now in November.

I sliced mine, topped it with a big scoop of plain Greek yogurt and sprinkled some organic granola over the top. It was a very tasty and also very filling breakfast. My CSA box also included a fruit salad recipe using persimmons. I haven't gotten around to making it yet but it sound delicious. Here it is -

Fall Festival Fruit Salad

Here’s another festive fall fruit salad that brings the bounty of autumn to your table. You can easily substitute agave nectar for honey, add celery root, apples or slices of citrus. This is a simple yet versatile recipe ready for your creativity. Want to give it a savory zing, add crushed lavender flowers or mint and minced rosemary.
2-3 persimmons, peeled, cut into chunks

2 large pears, cut into chunks

1/2 lb. grapes, halved

1 Celeriac (celery root), shredded

2/3 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1 lemon, juiced



2 t lemon zest

2 Honeys

1 Tred wine vinegar or champagne vinegar

Salt



In a large bowl combine lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, a pinch of salt and vinegar. Add persimmons and pears and toss until coated. Add grapes and celeriac. Add more honey or more vinegar to your liking. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Remove from refrigerator and stir in walnuts or pecans. To serve, spoon over a bed of arugula or alone.

Variations:

Add a juicy element with wedges of 1 or 2 sweet oranges. Peel and separate wedges.

Add more fall crispness with Fuji or Honeycrisp apple. 1 or 2 peeled, cored and sliced.

Pumkin...it's not just for pies

Pumpkin is a great way to add fall flavors to your dishes and is a nutrition powerhouse. It’s not just for pies anymore. Add chopped pumpkin to your next batch of roasted veggies or add pumkin puree to muffins or smoothies. The flavor and appealing color aren’t the only benefits it will impart to your dish, pumpkin provides vitamin C, iron, zinc, vitamin K and is one of the best sources of vitamin A. So whether choosing a fresh, small sugar pumpkin or opt for the easy route and use 100% pure pumpkin puree in the can you really can’t go wrong.

Post-work out pumpkin smoothie:

This recipe was inspired from one I read on the Lululemon blog.I’ve made a few changes and come up with something that tastes better than the original recipe

½ cup pumpkin puree

1 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop of ground flax seeds

1 cup of ice

Dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

The new nutrition guidelines recommend 5-6 servings a week of red or orange vegetables for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory and heart health benefits. So find a tasty way to incorporate some pumpkin into your diet this week.