Stephanie here:

Pomegranates, the superfood. We should eat more of them, but really they are rather time consuming to use. I do love the jewel-colored seeds in a salad, but prefer my kids to prep it. Another way to get Pomegranate came to my attention a few years ago: Pomegranate Molasses. Neat stuff, this molasses. It’s 100% concentrated pomegranate juice. It’s more sour than sweet, but it does offer a bit of sweetening power. I stick it in porridge, used to stick it in oatmeal, but wasn’t sure where else to use it until now. Try this on your next salad:

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1/4 c. Pomegranate Molasses
2 T. Balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T honey (to balance the sour)
salt/pepper
Now, shake it up, baby!

Now, why should we eat pomegranates? Well, thanks for asking! The Chicago Tribune, when listing it as one of the “7 foods you should be eating, but aren’t” said:

Pomegranate: This vibrant fruit is chock full of antioxidants, natural chemicals found in plants that mop up harmful free radicals, which damage tissues and may contribute to a variety of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Two interesting studies have had the bright red seed-filled fruit on my mind. One study shows that ellagitannins produced by pomegranates “demonstrate an anti-proliferative effect on cultured breast cancer cells”. While these were large quantities being pumped into the little cells, it’s still pretty cool. Also, a group of British scientists found that pomegranates can be used to create an ointment with the power to tackle drug-resistant infections (MRSA and other hospital superbugs). Again, really cool. So, while these aren’t really studies about people EATING pomegranates, I’m still keen on getting more of this wonderful fruit into our diet! Good food is REAL food.

Now back to that salad… perhaps toss in some roasted chicken breast, green onions, some toasted hazelnuts, if you eat cheese, which I mostly don’t, but if you do… some Bleu? MMMMmmm.