How to Get Seeds Out of a Pomegranate

 

Ok, now you can go to your favorite market and get a tiny little plastic thing of pomegranate seeds that costs $7 or more, OR you could buy a whole pomegranate for $3 and spend 15 minutes to get 10x the amount of seeds as that plastic thing. You can get 4 or 5 pomegranates, watch an episode of Game of Thrones while you peel them, and have enough pomegranate seeds to last you a month.

I think a lot of people are intimidated by pomegranates because they definitely look pretty crazy on the inside, but they are super easy to deconstruct. Easy easy easy, and so worth it!

Stuff You'll need:

Pomegranates

A cutting board

a good small knife

a bowl

NOTE: As easy as this is, it can get messy, and pomegranate juice WILL stain anything. So make sure you're wearing a shirt you don't care too much about when you do this and have some paper towels nearby. 

  

(1) X Marks the spot. 

Using your knife, cut an X into the top of the pomegranate. Only go in half an inch or so. And inch tops. This is just so you can start tearing it open. If you cut in any deeper, you'll start to cut the seeds open and ruin them.

 

(2) Peel Away!

Now on the inside of the pomegranate there are two things: This easy to rip spongy material and the seeds. You want the seeds (obviously) but you definitely don't want the spongy flesh. It tastes bitter so just throw it out as you go. 

Starting at the X you made, tear away part of the pomegranate. Believe me, it rips really easily. It's like tearing a stiff sponge or cardboard.

There's not much else to say here. You peel away the sponge, take out the seeds from their little compartments in the sponge, then tear some more until you're done! 

I like to have a trashbag on hand so I just throw the spongy stuff in there as I go. Put your seeds in the bowl as you work your way through. Also make sure you're not leaving little bits of the sponge attached to the seeds. It's edible, but very sour, so if you eat a bit on accident it's very unpleasant.  

Here's a side by side comparison of the seeds that came out of ONE pomegranate and another one whole. Isn't that amazing!!! Enjoy!

Filling and Fast Beef and Noodle Stir Fry

Time for a delicious quick Asian dinner recipe! Both filling and fast! What's great about this one is that you can really put anything you want into the mix to suit your preference. I'm a steak and snow peas sort of girl, but you can substitute in any sort of meat or veggies. Let's get started!

Stuff You'll need:
Rice Noodles (we use the frozen kind)
Beef (cut into bite sized chunks)
Snow peas
Yellow bell pepper (sliced into strips)
Roasted Sesame Seeds
Ground Ginger
Garlic Powder
Soy Sauce
Corn Starch
Olive Oil

Concerning amounts, it really depends on how many people you are and how much you like to eat. In all my photos, they amounts of ingredients shown end with up with enough dinner for two. 

First thing you'll want to do is get the noodles started. Now, using rice noodles you'll have to remember that they LOVE to stick to each other. So use a sizable pot to boil these in so they have room to swim around. That being said, get yourself a big pot of water, pop in however much noodles you want and let that start boiling. I'd say medium heat. 

 

 

 (2) Stir and Fry:
Take your veggies and meat and make sure they're chopped into bite size pieces. Get a nice big pan and add a small bit of olive oil and swirl it around. Now, add the veggies and meat to the pan and let it go on medium heat. Constantly stir it up! 

NOTE: Different veggies have different cook times. The bell pepper can go right in at the beginning with the meat because it takes forever to cook. Carrots can go in early too. Onions go in about halfway through. And the snow peas and things like scallions go in near the very end because they don't take much time to cook at all.

Spice up that Stir Fry! Add in a generous amount of garlic powder and ground ginger. You'll also add enough soy sauce to wet all the ingredients and keep the pan lubricated, but don't go crazy with it. soy sauce is very salty. 


(3) Thickening the Sauce. (When the meat and veggies are halfway cooked).
Now in a separate small bowl or cup, add about 4 teaspoons HOT water, 4 teaspoons HOT soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons corn starch. Make sure you add the cornstarch to hot liquid, or it will clump, and be useless. Mix all that up well, then poor it into the stir fry while you stir so it gets evenly distributed. Fry that all up until the meat and veggies are cooked. Lower your heat to very low.

 

(3) Back to Noodles

 At this point your noodles should be nice and done. Strain them, and rinse with a little bit of cool water. Then pour them into your stir fry pan with everything else. Add the sesame seeds now! On low heat, mix it all together. The noodles should absorb all the juices from the stir fry.

Once its all mixed up nicely, you're done! Pour it onto your plates, and sprinkle a little bit of sesame seeds on top for a nice little effect. Enjoy!!!!