Tuesday, July 21, 2009

POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice

"A Taste Unlike Any Other"
"The Antioxidant Superpower"






If there's one thing the AMW family loves, it is fruit. We love fruit in desserts, in homemade smoothies and even with meat dishes. So I was excited when I received samples of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice recently.

Some of you are probably thinking "Why is it called Wonderful ? And what health benefits do I get from POM Wonderful?" Apparently Wonderful is an actual variety of pomegranate, only grown by POM Wonderful. As far as health benefits, this pomegranate juice has 430 mg of potassium. That's 12% of your daily recommended amount and almost as much potassium as bananas have.

I had tried other pomegranate juices before. I found most of them to have an artificial, overly sweet taste. I discovered the source of that problem when I noticed one brand had blueberries, apples and a few other fruits mixed in with their pomegranate juice; that was noted on their ingredient list, but not on the front label of their juice. To say I was not thrilled at the deception is an understatement. In contrast to that, the POM Wonderful juice promised "100% authentic pomegranate juice" and "no cheap filler juices."

POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice was a big hit with the AMW family. I loved that the juice had a natural, lightly sweet, slightly tart taste. All of us liked the POM paired with chocolates and fine cheeses we had. Smoothies made from POM 100% Pomegranate Juice, ice and a sprinkling of chopped fruit were a favorite, too. I even added three tablespoons of POM juice to a brownie recipe, for a little extra zing. So good!

I also made POM Wonderful pork chops. Those got a rave review around the dinner table (I skipped the cabbage and mashed potato recipes) The POM juice and the Worcestershire sauce gave the chops an amazing flavor. I will definitely be making these again:
POM-Glazed Pork Chops With Red Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes



TIME TO TABLE: 1 HOUR; 20 MINUTES PREPARATION PLUS 30 TO 40 MINUTES COOKING)
Makes: 4 main dish servings

Ingredients:
Juice from 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates,* or 1 cup POM Wonderful 100%Pomegranate Juice
4 pork chops, about -inch to -inch thick
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 Granny Smith apples
1 1-lb. head red cabbage, shredded or grated
1 bay leaf
teaspoon fennel or caraway seed
cup water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4 medium russet potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1 cup warmed buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Directions:
1. Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.*

2. Peel potatoes and cut into cubes.

3. Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil; cook covered until soft, about 30 minutes.

4. Peel and core apples; cut into -inch slices.

5. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large skillet.

6. Brush Worcestershire sauce on pork chops.

7. Salt and pepper the pork chops and put them into the heated skillet.

8. Brown on both sides and lower the heat.

9. Mix cup pomegranate juice with balsamic vinegar and cornstarch, and pour into the skillet. Cover the skillet and cook until pork chops are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

10. In a large saucepan, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and apples; cook until they begin to soften.

11. Add grated cabbage, bay leaf, cup pomegranate juice, cup water, fennel seeds, red wine vinegar and brown sugar.

12. Add salt and pepper to taste.

13. Cook for 30 minutes or until cabbage is soft.

14. Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Mash with a potato masher; add to 1 cup warmed buttermilk and butter (optional).

15. Serve pork chops and cabbage with mashed potatoes.

* For 1 cup of juice, cut 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.

2 comments:

The Duo Dishes said...

Love the use of pom juice here. We are big fans of using it in any dish!

Caleb said...

dude I love those pom drinks. makes me pee pee like a race horse, but it's well worth it.