Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Healthy and Flavorful - Getting More Cherries in Your Diet

By KC Kudra

A lot of us have fond memories of eating ripe cherries as children; but cherries are also a great treat for adults. As you may have heard, cherries are a great (and delicious) way to get antioxidants. Cherries help to ward off diseases and contain a wealth of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, potassium, magnesium, and folate. When a nutritional powerhouse like this tastes so good, it is no wonder that it is rapidly gaining in popularity.

It is easier than you might think to get cherries into your diet; they are great to eat just the way they are, but you can use cherries in many different dishes. Try some dried cherries in your oatmeal - they are a delicious and healthy change of pace from raisins. Dried cherries also work well in muffins and other baked goods.

You will find that this is a great deal less sweet than syrup and much healthier for you are as well. Dried cherries are also excellent when you put them into trail mix, adding a little bit of color and vitamin C to the sugar and salt of the prepared mix.

Cherries are not just for sweets though; they help bring out the natural flavor of savory foods - they are great in a beef dish, with the cherry juice helping the meat to stay moist. Try adding the juice from a can of sweet dark cherries to horseradish, tomato paste, sauted shallots, and a little port. Simmer this mixture for about 15 minutes.

The sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks; once you remove the sauce from heat, strain the sauce, and then cover. You can sear the cherries and add them along with the sauce over roast beef. This dish can be served as is, or if you have a flair for showman (or show woman)-ship at the dinner table, the cherries can be flambed.

An unusual, but no less delicious way to get your cherries is in chili! Yes, chili! Add about cup of chopped fresh cherries to your chili along with the beans. You can use sweet or sour cherries, whichever you prefer. They add a wonderful flavor and texture to your chili.

In addition, when it comes to jell-o, do you need to make an excuse to add cherries? Cherry jell-o is already one of the most popular flavors. You can make all sorts of desserts with your cherry-enhanced jell-o, including jell-o cake, where jell-o and white cake are layered.

Mix fresh cherries and cherry jello with a little warm water to dissolve it then slightly chill and fold in some cool whip and make it into a light and fruity icing for a jello layer cake or why not combine the this with the suggestion above to give it a total new twist. How about adding some nice dark cherries to a nice bowl of French vanilla ice cream and all of a sudden, you have a new flavor sensation.

Cherries are a delicious and healthy treat any time at all - go ahead and indulge! You can add them to your diet in many different ways, do not be afraid to experiment a little and enjoy this favorite in new ways. - 15485

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