One of the things I always have on hand at my house is a variety of citrus fruits. I use lemons and limes all the time to perk up both sweet and savory dishes. Another trick is to use oranges and grapefruits in your cooking. It’s a healthy way to brighten everyday foods and it adds a sweet punch! A lot of times when recipes actually call for citrus, they ask for “segments” or “sections”. It’s a method of cutting the fruit to avoid all of that chewy, bitter pith, just leaving the perfectly juicy flesh in beautiful uniform segments. Since grapefruits are in prime season right now, I thought I’d use this gorgeous Texas Rio Star for a quick tutorial. Seriously, how amazing is that color?! It was super sweet too (for a grapefruit!)
I’ve also found this is a great way to cut citrus to introduce it to little ones who can’t yet chew the tough membranes. My baby loves to eat up orange slices this way! Here’s some other ideas on how to use both grapefruit and orange segments:
– try oranges in place of mangoes in this Spicy Honey Chicken Salad, the dressing has oj in it so the flavors blend perfectly!
– try citrus in place of cranberries in this quick Sweet and Salty Salad Wrap
-decorate the top of a cake with a beautiful citrus segment star
-add segments to stir-frys and other Asian dishes (similar to pineapple)
-chop them on top of these Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes for a healthy and satisfying breakfast.
– citrus pairs especially well on salads with sweet dressings, like our Poppyseed Dressing.
-There’s also tons of yummy grapefruit and orange recipes on the Texas Citrus page if you’ve got a minute to browse!
How do you guys like your citrus? Any other great ideas?