DARK CHERRIES TO FIGHT INFLAMMATION
Chuck and I ran out of fruit for our smoothies and when I popped into Costco to shop, I grabbed this bag of dark cherries since they were out of our usual organic frozen berries.
Dark Cherries are AMAZE-BALLS to fight off inflammation!! They are packed full of vitamin E, vitamin C, and flavonoids, specifically anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins. These specific flavonoids work to block the inflammatory process in the body that signal pain and inflammation much like a NSAID would do, without the side-effects.
Dark Cherries are also packed with melatonin, which helps influence your sleep process and is a powerful antioxidant. A study conducted at the University of Texas, found that Montmorency cherries contained 0.1 to 0.3 milligrams of melatonin per serving, which has been shown to be an effective sleep inducer!
Cherries are also fantastic to help with the inflammatory disease called gout. The Cherrie’s anthocyanidins inhibit the growth of the enzyme which produces the uric acid, which in turn causes the painful gout. Clinical studies show that eating 1/2 pound of fresh dark cherries per day can help you lower your uric acid levels and prevent gout attacks.
The darker the cherry, the better - they have more flavonoids!
Here is a cobbler recipe that I made today- I hope you enjoy it.
Cherry Cobbler
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup water
1 (12oz) bag frozen organic pitted dark cherries
1 tablespoon organic butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Topping:
1 cup namaste gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup monk sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I used half and half)
3 tablespoons organic butter
Combine cornstarch, syrup and cinnamon in a large saucepan; stir in water until mixture is smooth. Add cherries and butter to sugar mixture and bring to a boil; cook and stir until cherry mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour cherry filling into the prepared baking dish.
Topping:
Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; cut in shortening using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir milk into flour mixture until topping is just moistened. Drop topping by spoonfuls over cherry filling.
Bake until topping is golden brown, between 30-35 minutes.