The first time I ever tasted a pomegranate I thought I was in fruit heaven!…when in actuality, I was in Mysore, India, in the dead heat of an afternoon summer, at the outdoor market in town, crushed within a mass of sweaty people, merchants yelling at me to buy produce, and with flies swarming everywhere, no less.

A typical day at the market in Mysore, India.

I had never even seen a pomegranate before and I didn’t know what on earth to do with it. My traveling buddy Lauren couldn’t believe my revelation and she bought two large ones, after our initial sample taste, and we ran like mad out of there and into our rickshaw, where our driver was waiting to take us home. I watched as Lauren cut into this huge fruit with my Swiss Army knife, because that’s all we had at the time. It literally took her minutes to peel away the leathery skin and white pith to get to the seeds called arils, that hold all of the tangy-sweet taste of the fruit. 

Me and Lauren, circa 2006.

What a workout her arm got from that, I remember thinking! When she was finally through, we took our time eating the arils, one by one, until nothing was left. Why wait to eat the second fruit, we thought? There’s never a better time like the present, right?! Right! I was hooked on pomegranates when I got back to the States, even though they were expensive, not in season at the time, and didn’t have quite the tang that the Indian fruit did. Oh well. When in India…. 

So when my friend Lori M. told we she had pomegranate trees growing in her backyard, I was thrilled to get over there and pick some! And pick I did! Check out my box below! I have so many to work with now the possibilities are endless. Sauces, jam, salad dressing, garnishes, pomegranate margaritas (right?!) and juices… you name it or suggest it and the Yummy Yogini will cook it! Thank you Lori! These babies are selling for $2.00 a piece currently, and you are helping me streeeeeetch my budget! Oh! And our friend the pomegranate is rich in Vitamin C and K,  folic acids, potassium, and the antioxidants in them are found to be two to three times higher than in Green tea, red wine, cranberries, blueberries and oranges! Are you reading this?????

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Tonight is Taco Tuesday here at Casa Nelson… why? Because everyone’s doing it. I know I will indulge in corn tortillas, guacamole and beans this evening, so I put in a three-hour workout this morning that included Ashtanga yoga, TRX class, circuit training in Nancy’s garage and a little time on the Elliptical… I’m crazy, I realize this, but it’s all in the name of Taco Tuesday! 

The TRX room! Those are the TRX’s hanging from the ceiling!

First up for the pomegranates though is an infusion with avocados to make a healthier version of guacamole for dinner tonight. And those of you who don’t eat avocados because you think they’re too fattening- think again! They’re only bad when you pair them with like 10 million chips silly! Avocados on their own are high in fiber, have more potassium than bananas, are rich in folic acid, shown to lower cholesterol and contain good fats. The avocados and the pomegranate have so many health benefits… so what’s not to love? Eat up! 

Pomegranate Guacamole- makes one bowl (double the recipe for party size)

Ingredients:

-3 ripe avocados, mashed 

-1/2 red onion, diced 

-1 bunch cilantro, (from my garden!) chopped finely 

-1 Serrano pepper, de-seeded and chopped finely 

-3 cloves garlic, minced  

-seeds from 1 large pomegranate

-juices from 2 limes 

-1 tsp salt 

-pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Cut the avocados in half, scoop out the flesh and mash well in a large bowl. 

2. Chop up the onion, cilantro, garlic and Serrano pepper and add to the bowl. 

3. Cut the pomegranate in quarters and using your fingers, bend each section and remove the seeds from the pith. Wear an apron to avoid red splatter on your clothing! 

4. Add the pomegranate seeds and mix well. 

5. Add the lime juice last and serve chilled. Healthy and colorful! Enjoy! 

Add a few seeds on top as a nice garnish!

Oh! And the limes came from my neighbor up the street who has a small fruit stand with an honor box. I get five or six limes or lemons there for $1.00 and she usually has avocados for $.50 and cheap oranges for $.25. What a great idea and way to make some side cash! 

Our neighborhood fruit stand.

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I just came back from the Arroyo Grande Library to return my copy of “Wild,” by Cheryl Strayed. Hiking the PCT sounds like something I may have to add to my bucket list. I got another book by Kate Morton called “The Secret Keeper,” since the last one I read by her was so intriguing and well written, along with a couple of cookbooks. And just when I was about to check out my books, I found the Tudor section and spent another 20 minutes reading book jackets and scanning title names. I also love a good historical fiction/non-fiction read, particularly by Alison Weir and Phillipa Gregory. 

Henry the eighth I am, I am…  

A little Dhanurasana, bow pose, in the library today! And no, I didn’t get caught!