The Peculiar Pomegranate

Rich in antioxidants as well as symbolism, this peculiar fruit has held legendary powers for centuries. The Pomegranate, one of the super foods, is actually something we enjoy seeing go on sale here in the Engel home. There are numerous websites that can talk about the benefits of adding this fruit to your diet so I won't go into all the nutritional information. Feel free to google it! This is a spot for recipes and fun ideas. I'm hoping you can give me some ideas on what else to do with this amazing fruit..and I will share with you the fun my superheroes and I had today.

Above you can see what we had for dinner tonight. Grilled salmon, brown rice and a beautiful mescaline salad with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, cucumbers, tomato and onion , generously sprinkled with pomegranate. Nice right? Mr. Incredible works wonders in the kitchen. My boys all love salmon and they had tons of fun with the multipurpose fruit. My plans tomorrow are to add some to my oatmeal.

I love to dig into a pomegranate. It is actually therapeutic. I don't like to share in the fun of digging up the little rubies. I imagine myself on a gem hunt. I cut open the fruit (there are ways of doing it that are simply amazing..me, I just cut it in half and start carefully excavating.) The minute I cut that sweet/tart beauty in half, my boys are fascinated.

What does it look like to you? We swap ideas. Looks like a beehive, a red beehive, or an atom with protons and electrons (that may be because we studied that today), or my personal favorite..blood cells.

Then there is the taste test. "Are you sure we're not supposed to spit these things out?" Yes, I'm sure. I demonstrate by eating a heaping teaspoon full. Kyle insists on trying it plain then a sprinkle of sugar (just to see if it makes a difference). Shane added some to his salad tonight too. That's my boy!

Then the conversation turned to.."Mom can we boil it in a pot and throw cloth in it to see if that is how they used to color clothing? We've learned about the pomegranate in Ancient Egypt and even heard that it may be the fruit that Eve gave to Adam in the garden of Eden (after all, it does originate from that part of our world). Well, I wasn't too keen on boiling it..I only bought one...so we tie dyed a paper towel. Very cool!

Then, it wouldn't be like my house if in fact we didn't have to make some kind of wound with it. We had it on the arms, the stomach, the head, dripping from the lips....

It makes for great fake blood. So here is Shane with a gunshot wound to the chest. Looking at the blood splatter (and the smile on his face) my CSI team times the wound at 1600 hours today. Sadly Dad was not home yet and although he wanted to wait to see Dad's classic "trauma care" reaction, there were miles to put on his bike today...before the sun set.

So there you have it. Our fun with the peculiar pomegranate. So...please..what do you do with the pomegranate? Comment to share. I can't wait to read your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by the kitchen today. Stop by in a couple of days for this week's cookie....Coffee Spice Cookies!