Pomegranate Archives | Strength and Sunshine

Slow Cooker Fesenjan Chicken (Gluten-Free, Paleo)

December 27, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 57 Comments

The traditional Iranian stew with chicken and the deep flavors of pomegranate molasses and walnuts, now made easy right in the crock-pot! Slow Cooker Fesenjan Chicken is a hearty gluten-free & paleo dinner recipe that will warm the belly and soul!

This delicious Iranian dish has been a longtime coming! A family friend had told me about Fesenjan about 3 or 4 years ago. She raved about the indulgent, rich, deep flavors of the pomegranate molasses and rich nutty walnuts, cooked down to flavor the chicken. Traditionally cooked in a stew pot for hours, letting the flavors infuse and develop. My mouth was watering just listening to her description of the dish and how much she and her family loved it.Read More

Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Baby Eggplants

February 15, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 86 Comments

Flavorful Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Baby Eggplants make a delicious gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and allergy-free appetizer or side dish. An easy plant-based recipe that will wow the tastebuds with new exciting flavors!

Ah, those recipes where I get to be fancy with simple ingredients and flavors; I love them most! When we take the time to learn about other cuisines, we realize we had all the beautiful foods, spices, and herbs that we needed, just lacked the knowledge of how to make them work together. That’s where we tap into the beauty and wonder of cooking.Read More

Fruity Cauliflower Rice

March 16, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 116 Comments

Transitioning from winter to spring with this Fruity Cauliflower Rice is perfect to end the season and begin anew. Gluten and grain free, vegan, and paleo, this sweet colorful “rice” is a perfect healthy side dish for any weeknight dinner.

I adore cauliflower and pomegranate and kiwi and coconut….okay, well I adore A LOT of foods 😉 With each season, there are different gems that are at their peak and should be eaten as much as possible. Now that winter is coming to a much needed close, there is still a bit more time to jam in the perfect winter produce while we can! But we can also lighten things up with the coming of spring with sweet pretty flavors and colors!

So to utilize the flavors of this awkward transition between seasons, why not combine winter produce and spring flare? Well, I did just that and might I say this transition just got a lot easier 😉 Good-bye winter, hello spring, this foodie is so ready! One thing I am sad about is that I never got to have a blood orange 🙁 The few times I did see them, they we horrendous. I did however, utilize the pomegranate a lot more this year than I normally do. Love those beautiful little jewels!

When I made this “rice”, I had a random assortment of produce: a beautiful head of green cauliflower (from Frieda’s!) that needed to be used, a pomegranate, and some random kiwis. I also had some more of my favorite coconut milk in the pantry. I’ve only ever made savory cauli-rices, but since I’m me, I’m all for trying weird new things (and color combos). Combining all these random ingredients for a sweet side dish was the plan!

I didn’t realize it until now, but this is also pretty fitting for St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. The day all about the green! If you already have some heavier based foods planned like corned beef, soda bread, and potatoes, this was be the perfect sweet and light dish to bring to the table as well!

Speaking of, what’s on the menu for St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow? Does your family celebrate with a feast? I remember one of my first St. Patrick’s Day’s being gluten-free, I made some soda bread. It looked perfect coming out of the oven, but I made the “mound” to round and deep and the middle was gooey and uncooked :/ Major fail. I was going to try my hand at creating one this past week, but time slipped away and that was a fail too. Next year, I promise 😉

This year, I’m back at school so there won’t be any special meals (or soda bread…), but I’ll think of something! If only I had more green cauliflower. I would so make some of this “rice”! Actually, I’d need a pomegranate and come coconut milk too. I have the kiwis and the coconut flakes, but that’s it. I guess I’ll just have to eat a bunch of salad greens, zucchini, and snow peas! I have all those!

Fruity Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients: (serves 4)

+ 1 Large Head of Green Cauliflower

+ 1/3 Cup Lite Culinary Coconut Milk

+ 3/4 Cup Pomegranate Arils

+ 3 Small Kiwis (about 3/4 Cup sliced and halved)

+ 2 TB Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Directions:

+ In a food processor, “rice” the cauliflower by breaking it into smaller florets and processing as needed in batches until you get a rice consistency.

+ On the stove, heat the riced cauliflower, uncovered, in a pan for 5 minutes with the coconut milk over medium heat. Once heated, remove the pan from heat.

+ Next, add in the pomegranate, kiwis which are skinned, sliced, then halved, and the unsweetened shredded coconut. Stir to combine.

+ Refrigerate overnight (or at least a few hours to chill) to let the flavors meld together. Serve cold with additional shredded coconut….too look pretty 😉

Yummy, yummy, fruity, and lovely! This dish really fits the bill! The perfect transition between seasons, green for St. Patrick’s Day, and light and fresh to give the body some lovin’! But if for some reason you can’t find a green cauliflower, don’t worry! Just use a normal white one! You can still get a pop of green from the kiwis 😉

So tell me:

+ Are you Irish? Yes, my grandma is fully Irish, so I should probably wear green or something tomorrow :/ As I’m typing this, I just got a brilliant idea….IRISH SODA BREAD PANCAKES!!!! (I will be trying that this weekend…stay tuned!)

+ What’s your favorite green foods? I think my top two are Sugar Snap Peas and Zucchini!

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Recipe Roundup, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays!*

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Recipe ReDux #14 Indian Christmas Rice

December 22, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 135 Comments

Christmas is this week. Yes. It is in 3 days :O How can that be! I love this season and just the feeling surrounding it. Everything seems more beautiful (even if it is unnecessarily rushed). It always makes me pause and see those little bits of beauty in the more mundane things. A simple recipe with a most common whole grain: rice. You wouldn’t think to showcase it simply boiled and plated, but cook it with some glorious aromatic flavors and the beauty will take your breath away.

December’s Theme: Grab a Book & Cook – It’s the end of the year and we’re taking a moment to reflect: ReDux has been around for 42 months! (Can you believe some of you have ReDux-ed 42 recipes?) To celebrate, we’re playing a little party game this month: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 42 or 142. We can’t wait to see the books you’re cooking from these days – and how you make that recipe healthier.

I wanted to pick a random cookbook from my ever-growing collection. I love cookbooks! They are just so beautiful and bursting with inspiration. I chose The Indian Vegan Kitchen, by: Madhu Gadia. I also chose the recipe on page 142 for inspiration. I didn’t follow the recipe much at all, but used the theme of the flavorings and spices mostly.Read More

Red Winter Kale Salad

January 8, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 12 Comments

So I have may last recipe from Christmas to share with you today 🙂 Better late then never right? And this one is a keeper for the whole winter season so you will have plenty of time to make it I assure you. I rarely make actual salads, my “salads” are usually dinner bowls full of numerous veggies, grains, and protein, but never just a salad. However, I have always been a huge fan of massaged kale salads. I made my first one a few years back in the Summer. My mom had never tried kale before and when she tried it she feel in love and has always asked me to make my kale salad on every special occasion since. Well I won’t complain. Except this time I made it with a winter theme (obviously) and it as just as delicious.

You get to use the wonderful abundant in season produce flooding the shelves. You’ve got your dark leafy green (kale), sweet/sour pomegranate, beautiful red cabbage, raw beets (my absolute favorite!), crunchy cucumber (maybe a little out of season), citrus from a shining lemon, oniony chives, and a little warm cinnamon spice 😉 The quintessential healthy, vegan, gluten-free winter salad!

Red Winter Kale Salad

Ingredients: (serves 4 to 6)

+ 1 Heaping Cup of Pomegranate Ariels (from one medium Pomegranate)

+ 1 Medium Bunch of Curly Kale

+ 1 1/4 Cup Chopped Radicchio

+ 1 Large Red Beet (peeled and chopped)

+ 1 Medium Cucumber (sliced and quartered)

+ 1 Lemon

+ 1 TB of Chives

+ Season to taste with White Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Cinnamon.

Directions:

+ Rip all your kale in to bite sized pieces and then rinse. To dry the kale off, take a few paper towels and squeeze the kale. This will also be the massage and make the kale easier to eat.

+ In a very large salad bowl, combine all the ingredients. For the lemon, zest it and then use 2 TB of it’s juice.

+ Now just toss everything together and place it in the fridge to marinate overnight!

So tell me:

What is you favorite winter produce? I am really scared these purple sweet potatoes are a winter thing. I don’t know if they are but they only came out a few months ago and I had never seen them before that. If that is a seasonal thing in my grocery…and they go away in a few months… I think I might die!

What is you favorite way to eat kale? I have been loving it as my greens in my dinner bowls. All I do is microwave some ripped up kale for 45 seconds to wilt it so it is easier to chew (and it gives more space for other veggies!).

*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, and Ricki’s Wellness Weekend!*