Pomegranate Summer Salad

As we move into the summer, try making this lovely fruit salad and take your lunch outdoors! Using the delicious and healthy pomegranate, this recipe helps you to incorporate one truly amazing fruit into your diet that has presented in major clinical research to aid in overall health. Scientists have found a component in pomegranates called punicalagin to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and, remarkably, increase the pace in which heart blockages melt away. The fruit has been shown to inhibit various types of cancers and to protect against cancer growth. [1] As experts on the plant-based diet have been discovering for years, a diet rich in plant foods can both prevent and reverse illness, and the pomegranate is a popular summer food that certainly fits the bill.

Pomegranate Summer Salad Recipe

Pomegranates are kind of crunchy, as we consume only the seed, but also very juicy and leave a bright, happy pop on the tongue. They are truly a delight to use in the kitchen. Take on summer with the mighty pomegranate, along with other nutritious plant-foods!

Ingredients:

• 6 oz organic blueberries
• 1 whole avocado
• Seeds from 1 whole pomegranate
• Juice from 1 whole lime
• Sprinkle of cinnamon 

Instructions:

Rinse blueberries and set aside to air dry. Score and pull apart pomegranate to extract the seeds (see advice for slicing a pomegranate in the section below). Peel and remove the core of a whole avocado and slice into chunks. Combine fruits into a big bowl and dress with lime juice and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Toss and serve.

Serve as it is or over a bed of spinach or your favorite lettuce for a larger, veggie-rich salad.

Superior Summer Salad

This light, nutrient-rich salad can be served as a fruit salad or over a bed of greens.

Blueberry Power

Harnessing the power of blueberries, this dish can help enhance focus and increase feelings of peace.

Only the Good Stuff

Gather these ingredients to make a delicious summer salad.

Toss and Dress

After mixing, dress with lime juice and cinnamon.

Serve and Share

This recipe makes enough for two, so share with a friend!

Tips for Slicing a Pomegranate

Pomegranates are great, but they can be messy!  Here is a shortcut to extracting the seeds cleanly:

1. Cut the top and bottom off of the pomegranate, being careful to not go too far as to hit seeds, which are very juicy and red and can leave stains on your cutting board.
    
2. Score the pomegranate in sections all the way around and place into a bowl of water. In the water, you can pull apart the pomegranate, removing seeds, and watch how the water helps you separate the seeds and the membrane as the seeds sink and the white membrane floats to the top.
    
3. Skim out the membrane and discard or set aside for composting. 
    
4. Pour through a strainer and enjoy the remaining seeds!
    

No Hats in the Building

Slice off the top and the bottom.

Score!

Score (meaning cut, but not very deep) around the fruit about every inch.

Hate to Break Up

Pull apart to reveal the juicy, red seeds.

Insane in the Membrane

Extract the seeds from the membrane.

Hope Floats

You'll notice the white membrane floats, while the seeds sink, so seperation happens with ease.

Don't Read, Just Skim

Skim out the membrane so when you pour into strainer, all that's left is yummy seeds--no mess!

Sources:
1. https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article19.aspx