Top 5 Citrus Fruit Recipes to Brighten Up Your Day

There's a lot you can do with citrus fruits. Read on to learn the top five citrus recipes to brighten up your day.

There are so many fruits and vegetables which are healthy for us to eat, but they don't always taste good. Many people focus on eating fruit due to their fiber, vitamins, and minerals just to name a few.

While most people indulge in bananas, strawberries, grapes, and apples, citrus fruits provide more health benefits despite their tart flavors and textures. If you want to start eating more citrus fruit but aren't sure how to incorporate them into your diet, look no further.

We've come up with the top 5 citrus recipes. These citrus fruit recipes work great as snacks, on-the-go meals, or even as a dessert. Check them out below and get your citrus on!

1. Candied Grapefruit Peel

Candied grapefruit peels are one of the simplest snacks to make and certainly one of the tastiest. All you'll need is 2 large grapefruits (either pink or red) and 1 cup of sugar.

Cut the peel off the grapefruit into 3/8 inch strips. Make sure to leave 1/4 inch of the white pith attached. Place the peels in a saucepan and cover them in cold water.

Once the water comes to a boil, drain the peels. Repeat this process twice.

Next, you'll add another 1/2 cup water and the sugar in the same saucepan as the peels. Once this comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the peels are translucent. This should take approximately 15-20 minutes.

Drain the peels and move them to a wire rack to dry and cool - this should take 2-4 hours. Once dry, toss the peels in more sugar and enjoy!

2. Orange and Ginger Brownie Cookies

These cookies are perfect for an after-dinner snack, especially around the holidays. While they do involve a few ingredients and a little bit of work, they're completely worth the effort. With the perfect combination of citrus fruit, chocolate brownie, and ginger, your mouth and stomach will thank you.

3. Kale and Citrus Salad

Salads are already pretty healthy, so it's the obvious choice to add a bit of citrus into your diet. This kale and citrus salad provides a yummy, nutritional meal while also not being too much work. What more can you ask for?

All you need is:

• 4 large oranges, peeled and supremed (keep the trimmings for later)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8-10 kale (baby or matured, stemmed)
• 2-3 medium shallots (toasted, peeled, and thinly sliced)
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (soaked in cold water for 10 minutes)
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, hulled

Make the dressing by squeezing the orange trimmings into a large bowl to get 1/4 cup of juice. Then, add the salt, pepper (to taste,) and honey to the juice. Whisk in the olive oil.

To make the salad, toss the kale, shallots, supremed orange segments, and pumpkin seeds together. Add the dressing and toss again. Finish up by seasoning with salt and pepper, and adding small dollops of ricotta cheese.

4. Blood Orange Chia Pudding

Yogurt is a standard go-to as a snack or quick fix throughout the day. Why not add some citrus fruit to make it even better?

All you'll need is 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon orange-flower water, 2 blood oranges, 1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice, a pinch of salt (kosher), 1/4 cup chia seeds, 2 tablespoons honey (plus more for serving), and chopped pistachios (for serving).

Begin by whisking the yogurt, orange-flower water, blood orange juice, salt, and honey together. Whisk in the chia seeds; cover the bowl and chill for at least eight hours, but no longer than a day.

While that chills, segment the blood oranges.  Stir the yogurt mixture and divide evenly in small bowls. Layer with orange segments and top it off with chopped pistachios and a drizzle of honey.

5. Lemon-Garlic Cream Fettucine

While quick snacks and easy lunches are good ways to incorporate citrus fruits, sometimes you need a hearty meal. That's where this lemon-garlic cream fettuccine comes in.

It's the perfect meal to eat on cold nights and gives you all the ingredients you could need in a perfect meal.

Healthy Citrus Recipes For a Brighter Day

Not everyone enjoys plain citrus fruits which is why we've compiled this list of the perfect citrus recipes. From candied grapefruit peels to a hearty lemon-garlic cream fettuccine, you have the perfect recipe for any meal.

Want to learn more about citrus fruit, citrus trees, and the like? Check out our blog where we have an assortment of articles answering your questions, and more!

Try our seasonal citrus box while its available...the Craft Citrus Club!

Our Rio box is a 15-lb curated box of our fresh-harvested citrus from South Texas. The fruit is NOT gassed, rather it is tree-ripened. Our season runs from Nov-May for oranges, grapefruit and mandarins.

Our Grande box is a 30-lb box of either fresh-harvested Rio Red Grapefruit or Sweet Oranges from South Texas.