Cherry Recipes

Cherry Upside Down Cake

Cherry upside down cake is made with cherry pie filling and a from scratch cake batter.  Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:
•    1 can (20 ounces) cherry pie filling
•    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•    2 teaspoons baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1/4 cup butter
•    2 eggs
•    3/4 cup granulated sugar
•    1/2 teaspoon almond extract
•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Preparation:
Heat oven to 350°.
Generously butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Spread the cherry pie filling over the bottom. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and flavorings. Beat in the sifted dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Beat until well blended.
Spoon over the cherry pie filling; spread to cover.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched with finger.
Let cool for about 10 minutes. Loosen sides and carefully invert on a serving plate or cake server.
This flavorful turkey chili boasts a secret ingredient — dried cherries. The fruit makes this dish more nutritious and lends a subtle sweetness that complements all the spices.

Delicious Cherry Chili

This flavorful turkey chili boasts a secret ingredient — dried cherries. The fruit makes this dish more nutritious and lends a subtle sweetness that complements all the spices.

Ingredients

4 ounces dried tart cherries, chopped (3/4 cup)
2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon freshly chopped garlic (not bottled garlic)
1 pound lean ground turkey (7 percent fat)
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups chopped fire-roasted tomatoes or regular canned chopped tomatoes (we recommend Muir Glen canned fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 16-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Heat one cup of the broth. Place cherries in small mixing bowl. Add hot broth and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for about five minutes or until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Do not brown garlic. Add turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.

3. Add roasted bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, mustard and oregano. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for about two minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining cup of broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, cherries and cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes or until mixture is just heated through. Season with additional salt if desired.

A Cherry a Day

The latest and greatest new fruit everyone seems to be talking about is Cherries- tiny little reddish pink balls of, apparently healthy, delicious goodness!

Problems sleeping? Can’t remember things as well? Or maybe experiencing some major jet lag? Recent research has showen cherries to be helpful from everything to easing stiff joints to reducing the risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

Cherries contain a number of anti-oxidants which help eliminate free radicals in the body- those pesky, unstable molecules which cause damage to other (otherwise healthy)cells. This damage causes us to feel bad, gain weight, and age faster… Basically free radicals are no friend of mine!

There are two types of cherries, sweet and sour. The most popular type of sweet cherry is the Bing cherry, which is sold fresh in the grocery store. Tart or sour cherries are canned and used in pies, dried into fruit snacks and made into juice concentrate. Like most other fruits, cherries are fat-free, low in calories and sodium and high in certain minerals and vitamins such as
•    Vitamin A
•    Bioflavonoids
•    Ellagic acid
•    Perillyl
•    anthocyanins
•    Melatonin

Furthermore, cherries are a good-ol American grown fruit. The US is currently the 2nd largest producer and  exporter of cherries in the world!

So cheers to cherry good health!  And to quote the famous Emily Dickinson- “Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder”.

View my favorite cherry recipes.

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