Lunch: Cranberry Poached Pears

Spiced pears cooked with sweet-tart cranberries are a dynamic dessert duo.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Lemon, Cranberries, Honey

Health and fertility benefits of Cranberry Poached Pears

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Researchers believe that cranberries contain substances that prevent infection-causing bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls. However, store-bought cranberry juice is typically all sugar - so make sure to stick with straight cranberries. One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55.

Ingredients

8 small pears (such as Seckel or Forelle)
5 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. sugar
1 strip orange zest
1 strip lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
1 bag fruit tea (tropical green or passion fruit)
2 1/4 c. fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

Place pears in saucepan large enough to hold them snugly. Add enough water (about 4 cups) to barely cover. Add honey, sugar, orange and lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick.
Using tip of paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds out of pod and add to pan. Toss in pod and add tea bag. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer until pears are tender when pierced with tip of knife, about 10 minutes.
Add cranberries and return to simmer until they burst, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard tea bag.
Transfer pears to large bowl and pour cranberries and syrup over them. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
Remove and discard citrus zest, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean. To serve, arrange pears on platter. Spoon cranberries and as much of poaching liquid as desired over pears. Serve.

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