Tuesday, December 6, 2011

How to Cook with Citrus this Winter


Winter has arrived. That means shorter days and colder weather everywhere you look. Luckily, we found one way to brighten your day and wake up your taste buds: by cooking with citrus. Once you learn how to cook with citrus, you'll see how a squeeze of orange, lemon or lime makes salad dressing and seafood dishes come alive. In fact, a spritz of citrus is almost always a good idea because the acid helps cut through the richness of many popular dishes.

But wait, there's more! Citrus fruits are loaded with Vitamin C, which can help fight the cold and flu plus give you more energy. Many people enjoy eating a fresh grapefruit for breakfast, others like oranges as a snack. Then, don't forget to use fresh lemons and limes to flavor your dinner entrees.

Oranges are peaking in freshness right now and a quick search reveals that FoodPair has nearly 35,000 recipes with orange, covering 9 varieties. Here's a tip, use our Smart Ingredient feature to select a specific type of orange, like Seville or Orange Zest, or search them all by selecting Orange. To help you get started with a citrus-filled menu we used the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find some great salads, main dishes and desserts using citrus.


Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad
This light salad is loaded with citrus flavor.
Ingredients: Arugula, Olive Oil, Shallot, Lemon Juice, Navel Orange, Orange Zest, Orange Juice, Fennel, Dried Tarragon, Dijon Mustard, Salt, Canola Oil


Orange and Beet Salad
Oranges are a great complement to earthy beets.
Ingredients: Beets, Navel Oranges, Arugula, Red Onion, Walnuts, White Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Dried Mustard, Salt, Pepper


Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken
Lemon juice adds flavor and keeps the chicken moist.
Ingredients: Chicken, Lemon Juice, Basil, Olive Oil, Parsley, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt, Oregano


Cardamom Citrus Fruit Salad
Using honey balances this tart citrus fruit salad.
Ingredients: Ruby Pink Grapefruit, Navel Oranges, Honey, Lime or Lemon Juice, Ground Cardamom



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