Posted at: 11/29/2011 3:14 PM

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10 Ways to Enjoy Pomegranates

Hy-Vee Registered Dietitian Jen Haugen will show how to pick, open and use the powerful pomegranate!

How to open the festive pomegranate?  Very simply, just follow the steps below:
  1. Cut off the top about 1/2 inch below the crown with a sharp paring knife.
  2. Once the top is off, you’ll see four to six sections.  With your knife point, score the outer skin at each section.
  3. Here is the secret – use a large bowl half-filled with water.  Under water, separate the pomegranate at each score so you have individual sections. (You will avoid staining this way – your clothes, your counter, your cutting board!)
  4. Underwater, use your fingers to loosen the "arils" or seeds and let them drop to the bottom of the bowl.  They will sink.  
  5. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the white membrane pieces that have floated to the top and discard.
  6. Pour the remaining liquid through a strainer and use the arils in your favorite dish!

 

Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Pomegranates!
  1. Dairy Delight. Add pomegranate seeds to vanilla yogurt for a powerful flavor boost and added fiber.
  2. A Sweet Dip. Juice the seeds and reduce them with a little sugar and some spices for a new kind of dipping sauce for grilled shrimp or chicken.
  3. Top Off Your Morning. Top oatmeal or cold cereal with pomegranate seeds for a flavorful change of pace.
  4. Refresh. Pomegranate juice is a very refreshing beverage. Drink it on its own or add it to tea or ginger ale for a boost of color, flavor and nutrition.
  5. Dessert Garnish. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on any dessert. They make "dressing up" a purchased dessert a cinch!
  6. Great Snack! Snack on pomegranate seeds right out of the fruit.
  7. Christmas Salsa. Use pomegranate seeds to make this delicious salsa; see recipe.
  8. Marinade. Juice the seeds and use as a marinade for shrimp, chicken or pork.
  9. Add Flavor & Color to Your Glass. Muddle pomegranate seeds in a glass before adding lemonade or your favorite alcoholic beverage.
  10. Salad Sprinkles. Toss some pomegranate seeds onto your favorite salad.
Christmas Salsa

All you need:
3-4 kiwis
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar mixture
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons finely diced sweet yellow onion

All you do:

  1. Peel skin off the kiwi fruit and coarsely chop.  Mix with pomegranate seeds, sugar mixture, cilantro and onion. 
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with cinnamon sugar pita chips.

Yield: 8 servings (1/4 cup salsa + 8 cinnamon-sugar pita chips)
Nutrition Facts per Serving: 100 calories, 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein. 

Jen Haugen represents Hy-Vee as a nutrition expert promoting healthy eating throughout the community.  Jen is a member of the American Dietetic Association.



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