POM Wonderful POM POMs Fresh Arils Giveaway...Featuring Winter Pomegranate-Avocado Salsa

Happy New Year...hope your holiday celebration was fabulous! Michael and I had a lovely late dinner and midnight champagne toast last night, then home to watch the recorded Times Square ball drop. Time to get the 2013 fun for started with a fun and easy giveaway! When I first started this blog in Fall 2010, the very first featured blog event I took part in was a contest to host a POM Wonderful pomegranate-themed dinner party. Until then, I hadn't had much experience with pomegranates. By the time that dinner was planned, I was a convert! I love pomegranates, whether it's the flavorful and antioxidant-rich juice or the crunchy jewel-like seeds -- or arils. I learned the proper way to remove the arils from a whole pomegranate, which was a very valuable kitchen skill. However, my friends at POM Wonderful now have fresh arils ready-to-eat. These POM POM fresh arils come with a spoon for easy snacking, but they also save me a ton of time in the kitchen when I want to use arils for salads, to top yogurt...or perhaps make a fun appetizer. 

I knew I had found just what I was looking for when I stumbled across a recipe for a salsa with pomegranate arils, citrus and avocado at the Cooking Light website. Now that it's January, most of us are looking for lighter options...but we don't want to sacrifice flavor. This fruity salsa definitely meets those criteria! I made a couple of minor tweaks to the original recipe. I subbed agave nectar for honey and serrano pepper for jalapeno. I also added a bit of cumin to the seasoning for an extra layer of complexity. 

Winter Pomegranate-Avocado Salsa

adapted from Cooking Light

Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl: 1 4-ounce container POM Wonderful POM POM arils (drained), 2 sectioned tangelos or small oranges (chopped into bite-sized pieces), 1-2 sliced green onions, 1/2 a finely diced seeded serrano pepper, and 1 small diced avocado.

Step 2: Add the following ingredients to the bowl: 1 tbs. lime juice, 1 tbs. agave nectar, 1 tsp. dried cilantro, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, and salt & pepper to taste. Stir well to combine, being careful not to break up the avocado too much.

This unique salsa is delicious! The crunchy sweet-tart pom arils and citrus play really nicely against the creamy avocado. The sweet-tangy combo of lime juice and agave is flavored with the cilantro and cumin...which provides a nice warmth that compliments the serrano pepper. This salsa can be served with scoop tortilla chips, but I used some phyllo cups that were on sale for an elegant presentation. I'm thinking this fruity salsa would be really good over a pan-seared chicken breast too!

POM POMS are available from October through January in the refrigerated section of the produce department in most grocery stores. To find a store near you that sells these amazing little gems, visit the store locator on the POM Wonderful website. POM Wonderful is generously providing TEN of my readers with coupons for a free 4-ounce container of POM POM arils to get creative in their own kitchens! To make this as easy as possible, there are two ways to win. Hint: You might want to Like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter...if you don't already!

(1) The first five readers who Tweet the following tweet will win! "I want to win a FREE 4-oz container of @pomwonderful POM POMs from @TheWeekendGourm! #POMPOMS

(2) Sometime between now and tomorrow (Wednesday 1/2) afternoon, I'm going to give five followers of my Facebook fan page a chance to win the other five coupons. When you see the announcement that the giveaway is open, simply be one of the first five responses. 

See?!?!?! Simple! It's been a hectic holiday season...so I wanted this to be a totally easy-to-enter giveaway. It's not a requirement to enter or win the contest, but I'd love to hear your comments on how you would use these POM POMs if you're one of the winners. They're so versatile, that I'm sure you'll have some creative ideas to share!!

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