Healthy and Flavorful – Getting More Cherries in Your Diet
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.
When you are looking for ways to integrate cherries into your daily diet, you will find that this is easier than you could believe. Cherries are quite sweet fresh, but you will find that when they are dried and added to other things that they can be quite rich as well. For example, you will find that dried cherries are quite tasty when you put them into oatmeal.
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.
You will also find that cherries can also bring a lot of savor and sweetness to a beef dish, and the juice from the cherries can do a lot to keep the beef from drying out. You will find that the juice from one can of sweet dark cherries can be put into a saucepan with horseradish, tomato paste, shallots and some port and then brought to a boil over medium heat for about 12 to 15 minutes.
This will thicken slightly as it cooks; once thickened, remove from heat and strain, then cover. You can also sear the cherries and add them along with the sauce. If you want to create a more dramatic presentation, you can flamb the cherries.
Another great, if unexpected place for cherries is in a cherry chili! Add cup of chopped cherries (these should be fresh, but can be sweet or sour cherries depending on your preference) to your chili along with the beans. The cherries will add some of their flavor to the chili and add an interesting textural element to the chili as well. This is a great way to dress up the same old chili and make it exciting.
Does any one need an excuse to add some fresh cherries to your favorite jello recipe? Among the most popular verities of jello, cherry jello can be mixed with white cake to make an interesting new flavored jello cake. Alternatively, even add them on top with a layer of strawberry or cherry jello to make an interesting top layer.
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.
