Pomegranate Salad

So, here's another thought about trying new foods. When was the last time you bought a pomegranate? This is the time of year to get them. Wizened looking red globes, with bright orbs inside. The orbs are seeds, proper introduction of their given name, arils. The arils are sweet and tasty, fun to pull apart, and full of nutrition. One pomegranate will yield up to a cup of arils, enough for several recipes.

To get the arils out of their large red globe, cut the pomegranate in half. Most often I hear that removing the seeds is best done underwater. This is accomplished by filling a large bowl with water, submerging the pomegranate and separating the seeds from the with pith. However, I've regularly just pulled the seeds apart, keeping the seeds and tossing the pith. It can be as messy or as controlled as you like. My grandkids love doing this, and it does get a bit messy when they do it! I'm sure they always pop a few arils in their mouths as they're pulling them apart, but what a great snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups salad greens
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
2 Tbs feta cheese
2 Tbs chopped pecans
2 Tbs salad dressing

Directions:

First off, have fun removing the arils from the pomegranate. It's really quite easy, so don't let this unusual fruit intimidate. Pile salad greens on plate. Add pomegranate arils, cheese, nuts, and dressing.

Serves 2

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Pomegranates are another of those red fruits, like the grapes that make wine, that have high amounts of polyphenol antioxidants. Eating the whole seed means that you're getting a good dose of fiber in addition to all of those antioxidants. Getting kids to help prepare meals will get them invested in their portion of the cooking. Here's an easy part of a meal for kids of all ages to help prepare, and enjoy!