Festive Meals

MAKE MEALS MORE FESTIVE WITH A UNIQUE

Looking for new ways to elevate fall favorites? Add a ruby red pop of color and sweet burst of flavor to your dishes with a unique seasonal ingredient: pomegranates. Known for their sweet taste, brilliant red color and antioxidants, pomegranate arils, or seeds, bring a touch of sweetness that elevates savory and sweet recipes like no other ingredient.

The good news is, you don’t have to go through the hassle of opening a pomegranate and removing the arils yourself - POM POMS Fresh Pomegranate Arils make enjoying pomegranates easy with their convenient ready-to-eat packages. Available October through January, POM POMS are offered in an 8-ounce cup for cooking or baking, or a 100-calorie 4-ounce single serving for easy snacking. Because they’re straight from fresh pomegranates, POM POMS are a good source of fiber and are known for their antioxidant goodness.

Here are some fun ways you can use pomegranate arils on your table this fall.

1 Brighten up your breakfast

Adding pomegranate arils to typical breakfast fare like oatmeal, yogurt or smoothies gives morning meals the flavor and touch of healthiness they deserve. How about sprinkling onto a slice of peanut butter covered toast? Breakfast will never be the same with these juicy morsels.

2 Transform salad or grain bowls into festive delights

The saying goes you eat with your eyes first, so brightening up your dish with pomegranate arils’ ruby red color will instantly make your lunch or dinner appear even more tempting. Try tossing them into salads, grain bowls or guacamole! Whether you’re creating a weekday or special occasion meal, using POM POMS in the dish or as a garnish will instantly make it pop, while adding a healthy burst of antioxidants and fiber.

3 Wow your family with delicious meatless meatballs

These meatless “meatballs” have plenty of rich flavor, thanks to the warm spices and refreshing pomegranate taste. Serve as an appetizer or atop spaghetti squash for a meal the whole family will love!

4 Boost the holiday factor in drinks and desserts

Sprinkle bright red pomegranate arils in your cocktails, mocktails or punch to create extra-cheery holiday beverages you can feel good about. They add flavor and visual flair, even to simple mugs of cider or glasses of champagne. Garnish basic desserts with pomegranate arils to transform them into a celebration.

Find more recipe inspiration using POM POMS Fresh Pomegranate Arils at POMWonderful.com.

Prep time: 50 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Meatball Ingredients:

1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup onion, finely chopped 3/4 pound eggplant, diced 1/4 inch 1 and 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 cups toasted walnuts, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 large egg, beaten 1/2 cup POM POMS™ Fresh Pomegranate Arils

Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup POM Wonderful® 100% Pomegranate Juice 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 2-3 tablespoons harissa 1 teaspoon honey 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger Plain yogurt for serving POM POMS Fresh Pomegranate Arils for garnish Extra flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Preparation:

1. Make meatballs: Heat oven to 350 F. In bowl, combine breadcrumbs,

Parmesan, parsley, oregano, cinnamon and cumin. Set aside. 2. Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, eggplant and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in walnuts, garlic and tomato paste. 3. Transfer half the eggplant mixture to food processor and blend until smooth. Add back to eggplant mixture. Stir in breadcrumb mixture and egg. 4. Generously coat hands with oil or water and form mixture into 24 1-and-1/4-inch balls. Place on baking sheet 1/2 inch apart. 5. Bake until cooked through, 25-30 minutes. 6. Meanwhile, make harissa sauce: In medium saucepan boil POM

Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice over medium high heat until reduced by half, 12-15 minutes.

Whisk in tomato sauce, harissa, cumin and ginger.

Let cool slightly. Top meatballs with POM POMS Fresh Pomegranate Arils and parsley. Serve with harissa sauce and yogurt.

SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK Boosting Healthy Cooking

By Delia Bernal

Did you know Second The club’s mission is building and Harvest’s nutrition team We’ve also incorporated some of boosting alternative food literacy in our community. has created a the principles of ancient scientific wisdom such as Ayurveda which Food literacy is about understanding the effects your food choices have on your health, the environment and our economy. We’ve seen a need for helping improve basic education about food, it’s nutritional values, eating routines, how and what we should eat, all according to people’s individual needs and resources. Food isn’t the same for everyone. teaches that it’s important including different tastes in our daily meals to digest and absorb food properly. It also teaches that one of our connections to the earth is through the food we eat. It’s valuable that food be more natural, less processed and more seasonal, which is not only healthier but sustainable and generally less costly. cooking club? To promote learning, we created The Cooking Club as a new offering for participants to help them make better decisions Current Nutritional Outreach on food, share their knowledge through recipes, tips, and During the on-going health crisis, Second Harvest’s have fun at the same time. nutritional training has gone virtual with recipes included in Connecting with the Cooking Club and via online nutritional trainings. The club is also a way of creating a growing network of information that can be passed on to the community-at-large by the participants and Nutrition Ambassadors (NA’s). For We’re not trying to change peoples’ diets so much as provide healthier alternatives to high-salt, fat and sugar consumption. our Cooking Club we invite anyone interested to be part Second Harvest, the first food bank in California, sources of it for up to 6 months. Contact Second Harvest by phone over 8 million pounds of food (in normal years) from (831)722-7110 or through our website www.thefoodbank. farms, grocery stores, food manufacturers, distributors, org - to volunteer and individuals. It distributes through 100 food pantries, Each month we’ll address a different food-related topic around nutrition and health. We then demonstrate what we’ve discussed by cooking delicious and nutritious recipes. schools, soup kitchens, group homes, youth centers, and more, plus another 100 Second Harvest program sites. Included are People’s Pantry at Twin Lakes Church, Grey Bears, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Community Bridges – Other interesting facts are, most of the club’s recipes are Mountain Community Resources, Valley Churches United creatively prepared so people can continue cooking recipes and others across the county. with variations. If participants have recipes they’d like sharing, we’re interested! We’ll also play around with some traditional recipes and switch some of the ingredients so Healthy eating is a key part of the food bank’s mission. More than 60 percent of the food they’re more plant-based. Incorporating more vegetables distributed by Second Harvest is fresh produce and has won into our diets is easy, inexpensive and creates healthier it the distinction of being the healthiest food bank in the eating. The idea is creating exquisite, more interesting nation. dishes that are nutritionally balanced. Please visit www.thefoodbank.org and check out the But to be clear, the idea isn’t replacing meat or suggesting latest recipes. everyone become vegetarian or vegan. Our goal is presenting Delia Bernal is Nutrition Program Education Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank broader recipe options with more ingredients coming from of Santa Cruz County. plants. Its as simple as that. the 25-pound food bags being distributed across the county

DELIA’S CRUST-LESS PUMPKIN PIE

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked pumpkin • 2 large eggs • 1 cup condensed milk (sweetened) • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp of ground ginger • 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice • 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Utensils: Blender, pie dish (8 3/4 in. dia), spatula.

Serves: 8

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease pie dish. 2. Place all the ingredients in a blender 3. Blend until smooth 4. Pour the blended mixture into the pie dish. 5. Bake 20 minutes to 400°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until a little knife inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

WINTER SQUASH SOUP

Health Benefits

Eye health, bone health, digestive and immune function. Low in calories but loaded with vitamins and minerals that works as potent antioxidants.

Other options to prepare it

Soups, stews, curries, baked, roasted, mashed squash, grilled, stuffed with grains, top salads with roasted chunks, pasta sauce, add pureed to baked goods and milk to make smoothie.

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled butternut squash • 1tsp butter • 1 carrot finely chopped • 1 onion finely chopped • 2 cloves garlic minced • 1/2 tsp cumin powder • 1 tsp curry powder • 2 cups vegetable broth • 1 can black beans rinsed and drained • 2 cups baby spinach • 1 Tbsp fresh sage minced • Salt and pepper to taste • Basil to garnish (optional) Serves 4

PREPARATION

1. In a large saucepan add butter, onion, carrots, butternut squash, and spices. Cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. 2. Add the broth bring a boil. Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 3. Transfer the preparation in a blender add the sage, salt and pepper to taste and blend until smooth. 4. Return the preparation to the saucepan; stir in the beans and spinach and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Serve and add basil to garnish.