We all have cherished memories of eating perfectly ripe cherries on a summer’s day as children. There is no reason you cannot add to those memories, however – cherries are the ideal treat for people of all ages. Cherries are a good source of antioxidants and contain a lot of important vitamins and minerals – they contain vitamin C, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and beta-carotene. With all of these health benefits and such a great taste, it is no surprise that they are so popular.
It is easy to incorporate cherries into your diet. They are sweet and delicious eaten out of hand, but can be used in a variety of ways. For example, dried cherries make a great addition to your oatmeal or other hot cereal; they are also terrific in baked goods.
Dried cherries are less sweet than maple syrup or honey and are very healthy. Dried cherries are also a wonderful addition to trail mix, their color, and vitamin content being a welcome addition to the mix.
You will also find that cherries can also bring a lot of savor and sweetness to a beef dish, and the juice from the cherries can do a lot to keep the beef from drying out. You will find that the juice from one can of sweet dark cherries can be put into a saucepan with horseradish, tomato paste, shallots and some port and then brought to a boil over medium heat for about 12 to 15 minutes.
Simmer until the sauce is slightly thick and then strain it and cover it. The cherries can be lightly seared and then added with the sauce over roast beef tenderloin. You can serve this lightly warm, or for a more foreign and exotic touch, you can flamb the cherries.
When you are interested in adding cherries where you might not expect it, you can start with a cherry chili. Take 3/4ths a cup of fresh, chopped cherries, either tart or sweet, depending on your taste and add them when you add the beans. You will find that the cherries will add in texture as well as taste. This is a great way to introduce chili to kids or even to friends who have a taste for the new and interesting.
In addition, of course there is jell-o. Do you even need a reason to add cherries to jell-o? After all, cherry jell-o is already incredibly popular. Add some chopped cherries to your jell-o to dress up this dessert standby. You can also alternate layers of jell-o with white cake to create a jell-o cake!
You can make an exciting layer for a jell-o cake or even a dessert in its own right by mixing cherry jell-o and fresh chopped cherries, then chill and fold in whipped cream. This can be whipped into a sort of icing for your jell-o cake if you can resist eating it right out of the mixing bowl! Another great dessert idea is to add some dark cherries to a bowl of vanilla ice cream or plain or vanilla yogurt delicious!
Delicious and healthy, cherries are a great treat all of us should indulge in more often. They can be added to so many different dishes that you can eat them every day of the week – if you don’t just eat them all fresh on the way home from the store, that is!
