Put some zing in your step (and your food) with Florida Grapefruit

Recent research from Florida Grapefruit has found that 79% of women in the UK blame rain and cold weather for making them feel unproductive, but it certainly doesn’t help that only 39% of these same women eat their daily allowance of fruit in the winter ! They are therefore on a mission to encourage people to get more fruit into their diets and have created some recipes using Florida Grapefruit, as they are so nutritious and high in vitamin content. They're perfect for getting some zing into your diet and hopefully your step too !

Florida Grapefruit Tapenade with Flatbread Crackers and Fresh Seasonal Vegetables

Ingredients

1/2 pound mixed olives (Spanish queen, Kalamata), pitted and drained

1 Florida grapefruit, peeled, segmented and chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped fine

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup fresh carrot, diced fine

1 tablespoon Florida grapefruit juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup Florida sweet bell pepper, diced fine

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

Place the olives, garlic, capers, grapefruit juice and olive oil in a food processor. Process until the olives still have some consistency (do not puree). Remove ingredients from the food processor into a mixing bowl. Fold in the chopped grapefruit, chopped carrots, chopped bell pepper and parsley. Serve grapefruit tapenade with your favorite crackers or flatbreads and fresh cut seasonal Florida vegetables. Use fresh grapefruit segments for garnish.

Florida Grapefruit and Ginger Glazed Snap Beans, Carrots and Sweet Bell Pepper with Goat Cheese Crumble

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound Florida snap beans, stems trimmed

1/4 pound baby carrots, sliced

2 Florida bell peppers, seeded and sliced (your favorite color)

2 Florida grapefruit, peeled and segmented

1/4 cup fresh Florida grapefruit juice

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine

1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon Florida honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pre heated pan. Carefully add the snap beans, carrots and bell peppers to the pan. Cook ingredients for 5 to 7 minutes until slightly caramelized and almost crisp-tender. Add the fresh ginger, honey and grapefruit juice to the pan and continue to cook until the grapefruit juice has formed a glaze. Add the fresh grapefruit segments and lightly toss. Remove ingredients from pan into a serving dish and top with goat cheese.

Warm Florida Grapefruit and Mango Kisses with Dark Chocolate and Shortbread Cookie

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

16 shortbread cookie wafers (or your favorite thin cookie crisp)

16 dark chocolate pieces

1/2 Florida mango (or dried mango) sliced thin

2 Florida grapefruit, peeled and segmented

Fresh mint for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200° Fahrenheit. On a cookie sheet, place a piece of chocolate on top of each cookie crisp. Put the cookie sheet in the oven until the chocolate just starts to melt (about 3 to 4 minutes). Remove the melted chocolate cookie crisps from the oven. Top each cookie with a grapefruit segment. Garnish the cookie crisps with the mango and fresh mint. Serve warm.

Disclosure : I was gifted a Florida Grapefruit gift bag.