I BELIEVE IN BROCCOLI AND BROWNIES
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 Now is the time to grab a juicy orange or grapefruit for a refreshing snack or meal side. Many citrus fruits are the sweetest and juiciest in the winter months. That means you can choose from a variety of oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, or tangerines at your local grocer or online. Selecting and Storing Citrus When shopping for citrus, look for a fruit free of brown marks and bruises. Select a fruit that is heavy for its size and gives slightly when squeezed– that means it is juicy. Citrus will stay fresh and juicy at room temperature for a few days. If you want to extend the shelf life go ahead and put the fruit in the produce drawer of your fridge where it will last for a few weeks. Nutrition Citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C. An average orange can provide up to 90% of your daily vitamin C need. What’s so great about vitamin C? Well, vitamin C is a powerful health promoting antioxidant that is used in immune functions and prevention of some chronic diseases. Vitamin C is needed for collagen production which is important in wound healing and keeping skin elastic. And vitamin C helps your body absorb the mineral iron – used in the body’s oxygen transport system. But wait…citrus fruits have more nutrition benefits than just vitamin C. Oranges are a good source of folate which is important during pregnancy to promote cell division. Deeper colored fruits such as grapefruit and blood oranges add a good dose of vitamin A. And citrus fruits contain fiber which promotes a healthy gut and heart. Recipe Ideas  Citrus is a great grab and go food, throw an orange in your work bag for a quick snack or take a sack of clementines to your kid’s soccer game for a post workout treat. The versatile flavor profiles means citrus can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Make a lemon and garlic marinade for beef, chicken or pork. Add orange segments and toasted cashews to tossed greens and top with poppyseed dressing for a quick salad. Or top a soft sugar cookie with a grapefruit glaze.
One of my favorite citrus recipes is really no recipe at all. I love to make a winter citrus salad. All you do is segment your favorite citrus – I like navel oranges, grapefruit, and blood oranges, then toss in some shredded sweetened coconut. Let the salad sit for about 30 minutes until the juices from the oranges and grapefruit mix with the coconut to make the most delicious, sweet, citrus, syrup.
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Summer is the best time for fresh salads. I made this one the other night with ingredients from the garden. Here is what you need to make the salad Lettuce (I got mine from the garden)
Strawberries (I got mine from the garden. They are tiny, but delicious.)
Next add some cashews and feta cheese.  Lastly top it with dressing. I made a vinaigrette with the most delicious Peach Balsamic Vinegar. Other good choices would be poppy seed dressing or a blush wine vinaigrette.   I grow a backyard garden and my tomatoes are plentiful, so I’m constantly finding ways to use fresh tomatoes. My go to uses for tomatoes are Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches, Caprese Salad, and Tomatoes and Cottage Cheese. But every once in a while I venture out and that is how this BB & T (Bacon, Basil, and Tomato) pasta Salad came to be.
Start off by cooking up 8 ounces of bowtie pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking dice 2 medium tomatoes and put in the bottom of the serving bowl. Add 2 Tbs chopped fresh basil.  Corn, tomatoes, peppers are all end of summer vegetables. So, you may be asking “how can you make an end of summer salad in the dead of winter?” The answer – freezing and no, I don’t mean the freezing temperatures of January and February. I mean freezing foods at the peak of ripeness in summer. Here are my bags of peppers diced, cut into strips, and even halved ready for the freezer.
 Every other year I plant cabbage in the garden. I don’t plant it yearly, because cabbage doesn’t store for long periods which means when it is ready to harvest there is a lot to eat. And too much of something can make you tire of it. I can walk out to the garden and find multiple heads ready for harvest. Here are three I picked one evening – with dirt and all on the outside.
Refreshing, simple, and healthy  Sometimes in the winter I crave the freshness of a juicy peach or tangy strawberry right off the vine. But temperatures below freezing are not conducive to my peach tree or strawberry patch producing fruit in the middle of winter. Gladly I can get in season citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, and clementines) at the grocery store for a great price from late fall through early winter. Years ago, one of my clients told me how he liked to mix oranges and grapefruits with shredded coconut for a snack. I tried his invention myself and was pleasantly surprised by the delicious sweet yet tangy syrup that came as the orange and grapefruit juices mixed with the sweetened coconut. I’ve been making this fruit salad every winter since. Serve it as an appetizer for a holiday meal or try some for breakfast. While I put measurements in the recipe below, I rarely follow them. I just mix together some fruit and coconut. Feel free to be flexible – use more or less according to your taste. Winter Fruit Salad, Serves 4
2 grapefruits 2 oranges ½ C shredded coconut (try some toasted) ½-3/4 C red colored fruit such as pomegranate seeds (my favorite), dried cranberries, or red currants. Peel and segment grapefruit and oranges. Add coconut. Let sit in refrigerate for one-hour. Toss red fruit with citrus/coconut mix. Serve. |
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