Bright, bold, sweet, juicy, and oh so colorful! Citrus fruits are in season now making it the perfect time to infuse their fresh flavors into meals and snacks! Use their zest, juice and segments in unique ways to add flavor and nutrition to your palate.
From peel to pulp, citrus fruits can go way beyond just snacks — they’re great to use in savory dishes, baked goods and so much more. Also, the nutrients in citrus, like vitamin C, support the immune system and overall health. To me just the smell of citrus fruits makes me feel more energized, happy and excited!
Another thing I love about citrus is that they’re SO versatile and you can use all different parts of the citrus fruit. The juice, the zest, and the flesh can all be used in different ways to brighten up and add nutrition to sweet and savory recipes.
Just as we’re longing for some warm weather and sunshine at this point in the year (especially us here in Chicago!), I think our palette is too. Fresh, juicy bright flavors from citrus fruits like lemons, mandarins, oranges, grapefruit and more is the perfect way to infuse some fun flavor into your diet this time of year.
And if you’ve been following along on Instagram you know this past week was citrus week on my page in partnership with Sunkist! I shared a few different fun ways to use Sunkist citrus in sweet and savory ways that I hope will inspire you to pick up a bag of oranges or mandarins the next time you see them at the store and make one of these recipes!
Learn more about the nutrition and unique characteristics of the different types of Sunkist citrus I highlighted this week here.
Cara Cara Oranges
Sunkist® Cara Cara Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. In fact, they are called The Power Orange® because they offer the most vitamin C of the Sunkist citrus varieties, with 100% of the recommended daily intake in just one orange. They also contain fiber and folate and are super sweet with low acidity.
I think my favorite thing about them is that although they look like a regular orange on the inside, they are pink in the inside, thanks to the natural presence of the antioxidant lycopene. Grab these at your local grocery store from December to May.
Gold Nugget Mandarins
Perfect for snacking, Sunkist Gold Nugget Mandarins are super easy to peel, and exceptionally sweet. A good source of vitamin C, they also offer iron, potassium and calcium. I love having 2-3 with my lunch lately!
Blood Oranges
Ever wonder where the name blood oranges comes from? Blood oranges get their name from the maroon color of their interior, which can vary in intensity. That red color comes from anthocyanins (the same thing that make blueberries blue) which are plant pigments that have antioxidant properties.
They’re an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, and the B vitamin, thiamin. They have a rich orange flavor with a hint of fresh raspberry, so slice them up to snack on, or use their juice in a cocktail or mocktail.
Minneola Tangelos
A cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine, Minneola tangelos can usually be identified by the knob-like formation at their stem. They have a very vibrant orange color and are one of the juiciest varieties out there!
Tangelos are an excellent source of vitamin C and folate, and also offer fiber, potassium and calcium. They have a tangy-sweet flavor and I love that they are so easy to peel.
Only available from December to April, be sure to pick these up when you see them at the grocery store!
5 Citrus Recipes for Spring:
- orange ginger power smoothie
- citrus fish tacos
- mandarin orange Chinese chicken salad
- blood orange olive oil loaf (perfect for your Easter spread!)
- citrus charcuterie board — while there’s no set “recipe”, citrus pairs well with salty snacks like olives and crackers and a nice glass of dry white wine like sav blac!
More citrus recipes you’re sure to love:
- Banana lemon chia muffins {GF & DF}
- Key lime avocado parfaits {GF & DF}
- Raw lemon coconut bars {GF & DF}
- Lemon sugar cookies {GF & DF}
- No bake mini key lime pie cheesecakes {GF & DF}
- Crispy orange chicken {GF & DF}
This post was created in collaboration with Sunkist.
