New Year Recipes for a Bright and Sunny January
It’s a new year and winter is upon us. What better way to reenergize and start the year off right – and then head outside on the Trans Canada Trail, of course – than with delicious citrus fruit? We’re here with our favourite citrus recipes designed to add some zest to your meals.
Ultra-versatile four-citrus salsa
This crowd-pleasing condiment adds a pop of freshness to just about any dish: fish, chicken, pork, tofu, tortilla chips, and so on.
Ingredients
• 1 navel orange
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon green-olive tapenade
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
How to prepare
1. Peel the orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime, making sure to remove the pith.
2. Over a strainer, remove the fruit sections from the membranes of the fruit and squeeze the juice into a bowl.
3. Cut fruit sections into half-inch pieces and mix into the juice, along with the olive oil, olive tapenade, and sliced onion.
4. Season with salt and pepper, and add parsley to top.
5. Serve right away, or chill in the fridge until the next day. Enjoy!
Fennel and blood orange salad
This salad is not only super fresh and tasty, it also looks beautiful! Plus, it contains fibre, vitamin C, potassium, folate and more. Serve this delectable and nutritious salad as a side dish or meal.
Ingredients
• 2 bulbs fennel, thinly sliced
• 4 blood oranges (or substitute for a combination of grapefruit and navel oranges if you prefer)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup white onion, sliced in fine slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoon mint leaves, cut into small pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
How to prepare
1. Toast nuts in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn.
2. Add fennel, sliced white onion and lemon juice to a bowl.
3. Peel the blood oranges and remove the fruit segments from the membrane, then squeeze the juice out of the membranes into the bowl.
4. Add olive oil, toasted hazelnuts or walnuts, mint and salt and pepper.
5. Toss salad and serve right away. Enjoy!
Lemon yogurt cake
This loaf cake combines fresh lemon flavour and Greek yogurt for a simple and delicious result, perfect for a sweet treat, or to bring along on your Trail adventures.
Ingredients
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus an additional teaspoon for sprinkling on cake
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon glaze (optional)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
How to prepare
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and lemon zest, then add yogurt, olive oil, eggs and vanilla, whisking to combine.
4. Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 4 x 8 loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
6. Let cake cool before removing from the pan.
7. If adding lemon glaze, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice until no lumps remain. Add more lemon juice if needed to create a pourable consistency.
8. Drizzle over cooled cake before slicing and serving, and sprinkle lemon zest on top. Enjoy!
Recipes adapted from:
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/four-citrus-salsa
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/02/fennel-and-blood-orange-salad/
