Tasting the Orange

I found myself being grateful for, of all things, oranges the other day. It's as if I am discovering all their goodness for the first time. I grew up in Arizona and moved to San Diego in 1995. Oranges were a pretty run of the mill fruit for me until recently. I found myself eating the tangerines and oranges provided by my CSA and found in farmers markets right now as if they were a treasure of the season. A bright, diverse, flavorful surprise in an otherwise (in my opinion) rather boring time of the produce year.
I actually found myself limiting how many I was eating as if they were a delicacy and the boys are eating them like they're a real treat.

I thought all oranges were created equally for the most part.

I was sooo wrong;

There are two major varieties of oranges: Navels and Valencias. Seasonal specialties include the Moro, a blood orange, and the red Cara Cara, a navel variety. Then there are tangerines, tangelos, clementines and mandarines - satsumas being the seasonal variety we're seeing now. Every one of these has their own amazing taste and use. And there are so many more...And I'm enjoying trying them all.

Taste of the orange is a phrase I heard my friend use that means even if you read about it or see pictures of it until you taste it, you can't know the orange.

I love this phrase for its literal meaning as well as what it brings up around trying new things - sometimes even those that are right there in front of you and may seem ordinary. We're surrounded by so many chances for new experiences but sometimes we don't see them or don't want to see them because it would mean stepping out of our comfort zones.

So try a new variety of orange this week, and step into some thing new in your life this year - especially if it takes you out of your comfort zone.

This week's seasonal bounty includes; lettuce, arugula,carrots,acorn squash, tomatillos,cilantro,baby russian kale,spinach,apples, navel oranges, tangerines, avocado

I have included a few "orange" related recipes this week to play with, and some new twists on semmingly "old" recipes in hopes of fueling your own "tasting of the orange."

Sunday
Make some of  these yummy muffins today (really easy) and eat them for breakfast all week!
Blueberry-Orange Cornmeal Muffins
(make sure you use fine corn meal)

Uses; Oranges

Monday

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Rice Pilaf
Carrots (I used mine form last week here) and Peas or roast your acorn squash and serve here
If you double the batch you can eat 1/2 tonight and then shred the rest for Thursday night's dinner
I mix it up and use boneless breasts and legs (for the kids)
The sauce is the best to pour over everything

Uses; Acorn Squash

Tuesday
Pan Seared Tilapia with Citrus Vinaigrette

Uses; Oranges
Wednesday
Leftovers

Thursday
Chicken salad with avocado dressing

Dressing;

2 avocados

1 cup buttermilk

1 scallion (white and light-green parts only), thinly sliced

1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Coarse salt and ground pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine avocados, buttermilk, scallion, parsley, mint, lemon juice, and water. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and pulse until smooth.

Salad:

3 1/4 cups shredded cooked chicken (you can use your leftovers form Monday if you have them)

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 avocado, diced small

3/4 cup Avocado Dressing

Coarse salt and ground pepper

4 large slices sourdough bread, toasted

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, celery, shallot, avocado, and dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Serve on toast or spinach.

Uses; Avocadoes and spinach

Friday
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa
Shrimp:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salsa:
1/2 pound tomatillos, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 avocado, peeled
1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

To prepare shrimp, combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sauté 4 minutes or until done.
To prepare salsa, place tomatillos and next 9 ingredients (through serrano) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Divide shrimp evenly among tortillas. Top each with about 1/4 cup salsa; fold in half.

Uses; Cilantro and Tomatillo's

Saturday
Looking forward to trying this new version of a "chopped salad"
Blow your salad to smithereens

Uses; Russian Kale