Friday, November 28, 2008

Healthy and Flavorful - Getting More Cherries in Your Diet

By KC Kudra

Many of us have great memories of eating perfectly ripe cherries when we were kids, but did you know that cherries could be a great adult treat too. Cherries are becoming known as a great source of antioxidants. Cherries are excellent when it comes to fighting diseases and with a high level of beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, and foliate, it is easy to see why this fruit is becoming so popular with so many people.

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.

Dried cherries are less sweet than maple syrup or honey and are very healthy. Dried cherries are also a wonderful addition to trail mix, their color, and vitamin content being a welcome addition to the 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.

When you are interested in adding cherries where you might not expect it, you can start with a cherry chili. Take 3/4ths a cup of fresh, chopped cherries, either tart or sweet, depending on your taste and add them when you add the beans. You will find that the cherries will add in texture as well as taste. This is a great way to introduce chili to kids or even to friends who have a taste for the new and interesting.

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.

An icing for your jell-o cake can be made by mixing together your cherry jell-o (with fresh cherries, of course) and whipped cream. If you can keep from eating it before it makes it to the cake, then this is a great final touch to your jell-o cake. You can also add dark cherries to a bowl of vanilla ice cream or yogurt for a delicious dessert.

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. - 15634

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