#pomhighlights

[simplywonderful]

Recipe: Win Your Morning With This POM Smoothie Bowl

We aren’t huge on ultra-restrictive diets or cleansing, but rather lifestyle shifts that allow you to enjoy what you eat so that it becomes part of your daily routine.

And when a smoothie bowl is this delicious, why not make it an everyday thing?

Here’s how it’s done:

Ingredients:

POM POMs Winter Smoothie Bowl

Servings: 1

Time to Table: 10 minutes

Smoothie:

½ frozen banana

1 mango, peeled, seeded and sliced

½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tablespoon flax seeds

Toppings:

¼ cup POM POMS Fresh Arils

½ date, chopped

1 tablespoon toasted unsweetened coconut

½ kiwi, halved and sliced

½ teaspoon flax seeds

Method:

Blend the frozen banana, mango, almond milk and flax seeds until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

Top with chopped date, toasted coconut, chopped kiwi, POM POMS Fresh Arils and a sprinkling of flax seeds.

[simplywonderful]

Fall is the most wonderful time of the year. It's a time of transition, changing leaves, rustic produce, and cozy nights by the fire. One of autumn's greatest offerings is the arrival of fresh, ruby red pomegranates. We're here to toast all things POM so that you, too, can enjoy the sweet burst of flavor and celebrate the season.

[simplywonderful]

Video: Chefs Share Tips On How To Use POM In Your Home Kitchen

Is there anything this little aril can’t do? Here’s a video to give you some ideas from the pros.

[simplywonderful]

Credit Kathy YL Chan

Cocktail Recipe: A Toast To POM Season

Here’s a festive cocktail from a private luncheon we hosted to help ring in the arrival of POM season created by James Beard nominee Elayne Duff of Diageo. Cheers to fall!

Ingredients

1 oz Ketel One Vodka

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz POM 100% juice

¾ oz Stellina di Notte Prosecco

POM Arils for garnish

Preparation

1. Add all of the ingredients into a mixing glass with the exception of the champagne.

2. Add ice and shake until chilled.

3. Strain into champagne flute and top with Prosecco.

4. Garnish with POM Arils.

[simplywonderful]

POM Through The Ages

Pomegranates have some serious staying power. More than 4,000 years ago, it became one of the first cultivated fruits. Since then, it’s traveled the globe and impacted major civilizations throughout history.

Just think about it: Middle Eastern civilizations chose the pomegranate for nutrition and sustenance; Asian cultures embraced it as a symbol of health, prosperity and abundance, while ancient Mediterranean civilizations used the fruit as a medicinal remedy for various ailments and to represent the afterlife and the changing of seasons.

But it wasn’t until the end of the 20th century that the West began to embrace the fruit and its juice as a healthy and versatile food source. Who are we to argue with history? Keep calm and carry POM.

Picture 28: Pomegranates, Majorca, John Singer Sargent, 1908./ Credit: The Bridgeman Art Library, Getty Images.

[simplywonderful]

DIY Thanksgiving Décor

We are all about going DIY during this time of year. Make yourself a cocktail and get crafty by making one of these gorgeous autumnal centerpieces, which will spruce up your table or make a great hostess gift.

Garden Harvest Pom Centerpiece

APPROXIMATE DESIGN TIME: 60 MINUTES

Level: Advanced

Fresh Fruit

9   POM Wonderful Pomegranates

Supplies*

1      10" x 4" cylinder-style glass bowl

2      blocks floral foam

8      water tubes

18    6" wood picks (W.J. Cowee woods picks have a non-toxic stain that can be safely used on fruits and vegetables. They can be purchased in most flower shops.)

2-1/2  yards double-sided tape

Fresh Flowers & Greens**

8    gold cymbidium orchids

10  stems brown hypericum berries

20  magnolia leaves

Tools

knife for cutting foam

knife or scissors for cutting flowers

floral tape to secure foam(?)

Make sure the outside of the bowl is very clean. Wrap two parallel rows of tape – adhesive side facing out – horizontally around the outside of the bowl.

With the underside facing out, press the magnolia leaves to the tape around the outside of the bowl. Trim straight across the bottom of each leaf before adhering to form a nice even line at the base of the bowl. Try to make the tops of the leaves somewhat even. You can control this by adjusting the amount you trim from the bottom of each leaf.

Soak two blocks of floral foam in a full sink or tub of water; allow the foam to free-float and sink as it absorbs water (do not force the blocks under water). When foam is fully soaked, remove from the water and allow the excess moisture to drain. Cut foam with a knife to fill the container, allowing the top to extend approximately 1/2" above the rim.

Insert two 6" wood picks into each pomegranate and then place them in the arrangement.

Tuck small clusters of hypericum berries between the pomegranates.

Place each orchid in a water tube and then tuck into the arrangement to complete.

Note: Other types of focal flowers can be used instead of orchids. Lilies, roses, dahlias, chrysanthemums and carnations are all excellent choices. Water tubes would not be needed for these blooms, as they can be inserted directly into the foam.

* Typically available from a craft store or florist.

** Only available from a local florist.