The Hemp Connection:
pomegranate

One of the reasons I always have trouble providing menus, is because I am a farmer's market and sale rack shopper. My inspiration never comes from sitting at the computer poring over recipes…I totally love the challenge of figuring out what to create given certain limitations. So rather than provide a menu, I'll walk you through how I came up with a fantastic lunch today.

I walked over to Fresh and Easy's sale rack, where I found pomegranate seeds and figs on sale. I still had the taste of the figs Ivonne and I made for a Moroccan potluck on my mind, so those had to go in my bag. The pomegranate seeds were beautiful so I bought those too.

But what to do with them? I had almost bought hummous, so I knew I was in the mood for something spreadable on crackers.

Ricotta cheese came to mind! So that went into the shopping basket too.

Here is how I put them together for lunch.

Took half a container of ricotta cheese and stirred in two packets of True Orange (dehyrated orange powder, no sugar, a great flavor aid for all kinds of beverages and cooking!)

Chopped up three figs…aren't they beautiful on the inside?

Stirred the figs along with a couple of spoonfuls of pomegranate seeds into the orange ricotta.

Noticed some sunflower seeds on the back of the counter, so I added them too.

Served on canola oil-baked pita chips.

I never would have come up with that if I'd been riveted to a shopping list. It happened because I was practicing"mindful grocery shopping", that is, noticing what was around me, taking the cues, and being creative. Of course I use lists, too. But sometimes, a lot of the time, actually, I like to go the market and wing it.

And usually the times I go off the list…are the times I enjoy my meals the most.

Give it a whirl!

My latest and favorite act of procrastination is to walk two blocks over to the new Fresh and Easy store and check out the taste testing samples. (I am there so frequently the demo guy, Stephen, and I, are on a first-name basis!) Last week he had a really great spring green salad with fresh strawberries, made to showcase their blueberry-pomegranate vinaigrette. The taste was excellent; the only problem, however, was that the oil that was used as the base was not one of the ones inCYST likes its fans to prioritize. So I found another recipe online, from a website called Cooking with Dan. It's equally as great on the Fresh and Easy spring green mix.

One important word of caution: If you're trying to conceive, you may wish to file this recipe for future use.

Blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette

1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice (POM the real stuff works best)
1/4 cup EVOO
1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic

Blend the blueberries and pomegranate juice together to make a mixture. Then reduce it to a thick sauce on the stove (in a pot of course). Then add the other ingredients and blend it together. I store mine in a tuberware in my fridge and use it on a lot of salads.

Oh! And while I was searching for this recipe I found quite a few links to recipes for blueberry pomegranate martinis at Recipezaar. I'm not much of a drinker and have had maybe two martinis in my life…but the pomegranate margarity I had at Fez Restaurant a few weeks ago…and this martini looked good enough that I might have to pick up the ingredients on my next Fresh and Easy run and have them ready as a reward for finally coming home after the next 8 days of very busy traveling. The Recipezaar page has some comments on the side for alternatives that may be more tasty to the seasoned martini connoisseur

Linda's Blueberry-Pomegranate Martini

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce pomegranate-blueberry juice

Directions

Fill a shaker half-way with ice.

Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses.