How To Eat A Pomegranate

I am still receiving meals from my church due to my diagnosis and fight with breast cancer.  The meals come at least 5 days a week, there are a total of 22 people signed up to bring at least 90 meals!  Isn’t that such a beautiful thing?  I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been.  Yes, there are days I could cook for my family, but there are many days that circumstances would make it hard.  Doctors appointments, chemo treatments that take most of my day, weakness from chemo, weakness from low blood counts, a cold that I just got done fighting, etc.  It has also saved us a ton of grocery money, which has freed money up so that I could to buy healthy groceries for my breakfasts, lunches and snacks.

A couple days ago, my pastor’s wife, Tanya, brought an amazing meal, along with a pomegranate.  I have always wanted to try one, and I knew they were super healthy, so I was excited!  She explained how to get the seeds out in order to eat them, as I was pretty much clueless!  The technique she told me to use is on the video below.

{From Juicing For Health.com}

Pomegranates are very, very good for you and can be used a few different ways.

You pop the seeds in your mouth, which is a super fun, crunchy snack. If the crunch is not your thing, many people just pop them in their mouths, suck the juice out, then spit out the seed.

 Here are a few other ideas from Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce:

Sprinkle a generous amount of pomegranate seeds on homemade or store-bought hummus.  Serve with crackers, thinly sliced French bread, or toasted pita bread.

Omit the jelly on a peanut butter sandwich.  Instead, top peanut butter with a layer of pomegranate seeds.

Make a mixed green salad topped with this easy dressing.  In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine.  Add 13 cup pomegranate seeds and 1 Tablespoon minced fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint; stir to combine.  Use just enough dressing to lightly coat leaves.

Chocolate and pomegranate seeds make great partners; the chocolate is smooth and the seeds are both crunchy and juicy.  To make this simple “candy”, melt 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips over simmering water in a double boiler.  Stir frequently/ the idea is to melt the chocolate without getting it hot (it will melt when it is just warm).  Remove top part of double boiler and set on counter top.  Stir in 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds.  Using two teaspoons (one to scoop and the other to push mixture off), place 14 small mounds on baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Chill. Serve with in 24 hours for best flavor and texture.