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THIS SEASONAL TREAT, SOMETIMES CALLED A "SEEDED APPLE," OFFERS MORE THAN JUST TASTE. Spinach Pomegranate Salad At one time, pomegranate flowers were used to make red dye for clothing, and the rind was used to dye leather. THIS JUICY RED fruit is high in potassium, vitamin C and dietary fi ber. Pomegranates, and especially pomegranate juice, also have high amounts of powerful antioxidants. For example, an Advanced Biomedical Research study published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website found that the antioxidants in pomegranates have anti- infl ammatory properties that may help prevent: > Multiple cancers, including breast, prostate, lung and skin cancer > Cardiovascular disease > Osteoarthritis > Rheumatoid arthritis HOW TO PREP POMEGRANATES Pomegranates are in season from September to January. They are picked once they're ripe, so the ones in your grocery store are ready to eat. To open a pomegranate, follow this method recommended by the Pomegranate Council: Pomegranate arils will keep in your refrigerator up to three days or in a freezer for up to six months. Eat the arils by themselves, add them to desserts or use them in delicious drinks—the options are almost plentiful! Ingredients ½ cup pomegranate seeds ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 large guava, cut into pieces ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved 2 cups fresh spinach Juice of 1 tangerine 1 tsp. olive oil 1 tsp. honey Salt and pepper to taste Directions In a large bowl, mix pomegranate seeds, coconut, guava, tomatoes and spinach. In a small bowl, whisk tangerine juice, oil, honey, salt and pepper together to make dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to coat. Serve and enjoy. Nutrition information per serving Servings: 2 Calories: 209 Total fat: 10g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 120 mg Carbohydrates: 31g Dietary fiber: 6g Protein: 3g Recipe courtesy of "What's Cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl," whatscooking.fns.usda.gov. Cut off the crown of the pomegranate, and slice the fruit into large sections. 1 2 3 4 Fill a bowl of water, and lower the sections into the water. Using your fi ngers, roll the juice-fi lled seed sacs, or arils, from the white pith of the fruit. The arils will sink to the bottom, while the pith fl oats to the top. Discard the pith, and pour the bowl contents through a strainer to remove excess water. Pat the arils dry with a paper towel. Poertes THE POWER OF Pomegranates

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