I was staring out my kitchen window this morning and looking out at my pomegranate tree – it’s so pretty and it’s actually overflowing with fruit!  I love this time of year when it’s in full season.  

So I went outside, climbed up on my stepstool and picked a few of them.  It takes a little bit of work to get those deliciously sweet and tart seeds out of the fruit, but whether you do it in a bowl of cold water or cut them open and take them out one by one… it’s seriously worth it!

It was worth it today – the smile on my kid’s faces was priceless.  

But if you don’t have a pomegranate tree, or if you do but don’t always have the time to extract each delicious seed, there’s good news! The peeps over at POM Wonderful have done all the hard work for you already.

Enter POM POMS – perfectly packaged pomegranate arils already cleaned for you. Located in the refrigerated section of the supermarket (by the fruits and veggies), they’re super tasty whether you eat them all on their own, put them into a fresh butter lettuce salad or my favorite, in a bowl of fat free vanilla yogurt in the morning.  

They’re the perfect snack and in my opinion the best alternative to any candy out there! So if you’re entertaining over the holidays, try this delicious (and healthy) recipe for a pomegranate salsa.

Pomegranate Salsa 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 2 Cups of pomegranate seeds (arils) from a large container of POM POMS
• 1 Jalapeno pepper finely diced
• 1/2 Red bell pepper diced
• 1/2 Small red onion finely diced 
• 1 Handful of fresh cilantro roughly chopped
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar 

Directions

In a large bowl combine pomegranate juice, vinegar and sugar. Dissolve sugar. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. 

Place in the refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, fresh chopped veggies or serve over your favorite protein… grilled chicken, steak or pork! (Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days)

Why Are Pomegranates The Miracle Fruit?

Pomegranates – they’re the miracle fruit. What? You haven’t heard?  Ok, well let me break it down for you: they’ve been around since just about the begriming of time and they’re filled with an abundance of health!  The benefits from this amazingly delicious fruit are actually incredible, in fact, I’ve been feeding spoonfuls of this good stuff to my kids practically from the time they were born! 

Health Benefits 

First and foremost pomegranates are chock full of antioxidants.  That means when you’ve got that nasty cold coming your way, this is going to give you all of the good stuff that your blood needs to help keep you healthy. And since oxidative damage contributes to health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer, antioxidants are really important. Plus they enhance your immune system, thereby lowering your risk of infection.

Pomegranates are filled with Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium and fiber. They help reduce the inflammation of arthritis by slowing down the enzymes that break down the cartilage (don’t ask me how it does this, it just does!). Do you have high cholesterol?  Yep, it does that too!  Pomegranates are known to lower the LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise the HDL (good cholesterol).

This superfruit is a natural way to prevent dental plaque and helps your skin look better – my aesthetician loves to slather a pomegranate masque all over my face for clear and glowing skin.

So go ahead and try a pomegranate!  Throw it into a salad whole, or puree and strain them and add them to some balsamic vinegar and olive oil and make a delicious pomegranate salad dressing.  Put a few POM POMS on top of some feta cheese for a light snack or roast a leg of lamb with some pomegranate for a great dish for family and friends over the holidays!!!