A lot of us have fond memories of eating ripe cherries as children; but cherries are also a great treat for adults. As you may have heard, cherries are a great (and delicious) way to get antioxidants. Cherries help to ward off diseases and contain a wealth of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, potassium, magnesium, and folate. When a nutritional powerhouse like this tastes so good, it is no wonder that it is rapidly gaining in popularity.

It is easy to incorporate cherries into your diet. They are sweet and delicious eaten out of hand, but can be used in a variety of ways. For example, dried cherries make a great addition to your oatmeal or other hot cereal; they are also terrific in baked goods.

Dried cherries are less sweet than maple syrup or honey and are very healthy. Dried cherries are also a wonderful addition to trail mix, their color, and vitamin content being a welcome addition to the mix.

You can also use cherries in savory dishes like roast beef! Try this recipe to bring out some of the flavor of your roast beef. The juice from the cherries helps to keep the meat moist and juicy and the cherries add a whole new dimension of flavor to the dish. Try making a sauce using the juice from one can of sweet dark cherries, horseradish, sauted shallots, tomato paste and a splash of port. You should simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes.

This will thicken slightly as it cooks; once thickened, remove from heat and strain, then cover. You can also sear the cherries and add them along with the sauce. If you want to create a more dramatic presentation, you can flamb the cherries.

An unusual, but no less delicious way to get your cherries is in chili! Yes, chili! Add about cup of chopped fresh cherries to your chili along with the beans. You can use sweet or sour cherries, whichever you prefer. They add a wonderful flavor and texture to your chili.

In addition, of course there is jell-o. Do you even need a reason to add cherries to jell-o? After all, cherry jell-o is already incredibly popular. Add some chopped cherries to your jell-o to dress up this dessert standby. You can also alternate layers of jell-o with white cake to create a jell-o cake!

An icing for your jell-o cake can be made by mixing together your cherry jell-o (with fresh cherries, of course) and whipped cream. If you can keep from eating it before it makes it to the cake, then this is a great final touch to your jell-o cake. You can also add dark cherries to a bowl of vanilla ice cream or yogurt for a delicious dessert.

Cherries are a great treat; so make sure that you indulge! There are many different ways to include them into your meal, so take some time to make sure that you do!