Citrus Brightens Winter Meals

Winter is the perfect season to indulge in a variety of fresh citrus fruits. Citrus ripens in the fall and early winter months making it readily available for a variety of winter menus, including salads and sides, mains, desserts and snacks. Here are some ideas and recipes:
Make citrus fruit salad; include all of your favorites! Try it with a sprinkling of unsweetened coconut flakes or a bit of raw honey and a sprinkling of nuts.
Enjoy citrus for dessert with a square of dark chocolate.
Pair with almost any variety of cheese. Hard, salty cheese adds wonderful balance and flavor to the sweet acidity of the fruit.
Stir into Greek yogurt, cottage or ricotta cheese and eat as is or with a bit of honey or sliced
dates for a filling and satisfying breakfast.

Cook's notes: Looking at the following recipes below I couldn't help but think of the first lines of this Dr. Seuss quote 

as these food combinations are a bit out of the box but they do work together. Keep an open mind!
On a recent TV cooking show they discussed some food trends of 2017. One trend we will see more of is plates featuring Small Bites-Big Flavors . 
Grapefruit Avocado Toast

Ingredients:

• Bread
• Avocado
• Grapefruit segments
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Toast bread. Take 1/4 of an avocado and mash it on bread with a fork. Top with grapefruit segments.
• If desired, drizzle with olive oil and a shake of salt and pepper.

Clementine Smoothie
Cook's notes: A clementine smoothie is creamy, delicious, and uses ingredients that you probably have on hand. It tastes just like an Orange Julius or a creamsicle!
Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla low fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 10-12 ice cubes (more to achieve desired thickness)
• 3 clementines, peeled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Directions: 

• Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.
• Add more ice if you like it thicker and blend again until smooth.
• Serve immediately with a straw.

Note: If you don't have/can't find vanilla bean paste, you can substitute vanilla extract or the pulp of a vanilla bean.

Maple- Grapefruit Tartlets

Cook's notes:An unusual combination but works great for that special brunch or lunch. Several steps can be completed ahead to make the assembly go smoothly. Recipe adapted from Midwest Living.
Ingredients: 

• 1 prepared rolled pie crust 
• milk
• 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 3/4 tsp. Saigon cinnamon, divided
• grapefruit segments
•  1-1/2 TB. maple syrup
• 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

Directions:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Unroll piecrust on a floured surface. Cut 12 circles about 2-1/2 inch diameter. (I used a wine glass as a pie cutter for this step) 
• Transfer to baking sheet and prick each one with a fork several times.  
• Use a pastry brush and lightly moisten each pie crust circle with milk. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. 
• Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned-set aside to cool.
• In a small bowl whisk until smooth maple syrup and cream cheese.  Set aside.
• Segment the grapefruit and use paper towels to absorb juices. 
• To assemble: Frost each pie crust circle with cream cheese mixture. Add a grapefruit segment and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar mixture.