Purple Pomegranate Power

Recently I was watching a cooking travel show about street foods throughout Jordan, and I was amazed that nearly every place featured was using pomegranates. Its arils were either being used as a garnish or there was a delicious-sounding pomegranate molasses being poured over roasted meats.

To me, as I’m sure is the case with many others, this a sort of forgotten fruit. I really never had it until I was probably in college- it just wasn’t something my parents bought regularly like bananas or apples. I love it, but other than popping some as an occasional snack, I really wasn’t familiar enough to know what else to do with it.

Watching this show, I was reminded of a recipe given to me by a sweet dietitian I was working with in the summer. It’s Frieda’s Purple Power Breakfast Bowl, and it combines the pomegranate with three of my favorite foods: peanut butter, bananas and potatoes. I can’t recommend this more! I’m the queen of concocting homemade bowls and smoothies (I have a frozen banana and matcha ice cream thawing on the counter as I write this), and this combination of flavors is so unique. Plus it’s naturally gluten-free. Check out Frieda’s recipe below, and try it out!

By the way, this dish is super filling- I ate only half of this in my first sitting, but it stayed fresh in the fridge overnight just fine until the following day.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
1 Stokes Purple sweet potato (or 2 small ones), baked* and chilled
1 banana, peeled and sliced into rounds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (toasted optional)
1/4 cup pomegranate arils (or arils from 1 pomegranate)
Pinch of cinnamon, optional

For the original recipe and directions, visit:

https://www.friedas.com/purple-power-breakfast-bowl/