Cherry here, cherry there, cherries, cherries, everywhere!
That’s how it’s going to feel when you little one starts eating anything with this cherry puree. It’s delicious, colorful, and stains like no other fruit I know. Keep reading, I have found the one thing that gets this stain out….it’s a modern miracle.
But, I digress.
Cherries are one of my kids favorite fruits, they LOVE when they are in season (typically June through August), and de-pitting them is an early learned skill around here.
But, since I’ve discovered the joy of the frozen cherry, they are no longer a seasonal fruit in our house. I mean, my kids will eat them frozen, straight from the bag…and we wouldn’t dare make them a smoothie without them!
Cherries are full of antioxidants, are sweet as can be when a peak ripeness and add beautiful color to a plate, a smoothie, desserts and everything in between.
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So what makes cherries so great?
According to Health.com cherries are not only one of the healthiest fruits, they also rank as one of the most health protective foods overall. One cup, or about 21 cherries, contains less than 100 calories and 15% of your daily vitamin C needs.
One of my favorite facts about cherries though is that they are one of the only foods that naturally contain melatonin (a hormone that helps control sleep-wake cycles). While it’s not something I’ve witnessed in action, I definitely encourage the kiddos to eat cherries as part of their dessert…a few extra minutes of sleep never hurt anyone, right?
When making this cherry puree, I recommend using frozen cherries.
Of course, regular cherries will work too, but is it really simple to have to de-pit (is that a word) so many cherries? Especially when you can simply buy them in a bag?
I think not.
I happen to get most of my frozen fruit at Trader Joe’s but any bag of frozen sweet cherries will work here. Either way, these sweet cherries add something special to so many other foods. Cherry puree pairs well with:
- Cooked oatmeal: either use fresh puree or a frozen cube mixed in for a fruity twist on oatmeal
- Spinach: pair with a spinach cube for a super healthy combination, and sweetens up the spinach,
- Yogurt: either mix the puree with yogurt and freeze in cubes, or drizzle puree over the yogurt for a naturally sweetened treat
- Roasted Broccoli: for a pop of color with roasted pureed broccoli add in some cherry puree, the kiddos love it.
- Applesauce: for a great sweet treat for little ones, a cube of cherry on top of applesauce ups the nutrients and looks great too.
And for adults this cherry puree makes a nice addition in a cool summer drink or on top of ice cream, made into a syrup for a cheesecake or even drizzled over poached pears to make them fancy!
*Just a little note that this puree is thinner than most. If you using it from a frozen cube, let defrost at room temp, there is no need to microwave it. I suggest serving it with other purees that have some texture or depth to them.
Now I promised I would give you my trick for getting the cherry juice out of everything…
Because it will be on everything when you kiddos start eating these babies by the dozen. Fresh or frozen, these gorgeous fruits know how to leave their mark. But, OxiClean can take care of it! They aren’t paying me to say this (but maybe they should, I’m a big fan).
I just love the stuff and it has not failed me yet when it comes to treating stains from juicy fruit in our house…go ahead and try it. Seriously, here’s a link for Target and for Amazon, (fyi, it’s cheaper at Target). You need this stuff in your life!
DIRECTIONS
16oz bag of frozen cherries, defrosted 20-30 minutes
- Toss the defrosted cherries into a high speed blender (I love my Vitamix)
- Blend until smooth.
- Freeze into cubes or store in a jar in the fridge. This puree can stay in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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