Seasonal Superfood: Clementines

Let’€™s take a break from the sugar cookies, gingerbread men and holiday entertaining for a minute to talk about clementines. These juicy beauties are typically sold by the crate or 4 lb bag, and can be found at almost every supermarket this month.
Loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, fibre, folate and potassium, these golden orbs kick off citrus season, which runs into the late winter’€”and can make for a sweet snack to give to the kids this season.

While clementines are easy to tuck into a coat pocket for a quick peel and eat, they also taste great in nearly any recipe that calls for the addition of lemon/orange juice or zest. Just swap equal amounts of clementine for whatever citrus is called for and your dish will instantly have a seasonal vibe to it.

Here are some other ideas for using clementines this month:

• Toss baby spinach, clementine segments, pomegranate seeds and walnuts with your favourite balsamic vinaigrette for a healthy addition to your holiday feasts.
• Dip clementine pieces into white or dark chocolate and cover with a smattering of chopped nuts for an easy sweet treat.
• Puree frozen mango cubes, sliced bananas and clementine pieces with yogurt, a touch of maple syrup and vanilla extract for a brain-boosting smoothie to start the day.
• Combine equal parts clementine juice with Perrier or white grape juice and serve over ice. Garnish with pomegranate seeds for a non-alcoholic drink for the kids.
• Stir-fry some shrimp and veggies and season with ground or fresh ginger and a few tablespoons of clementine juice. Serve over rice for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

And lastly, this clementine cake from Nigella Lawson is on my to-make list for the coming week. It’€™s gluten free and only requires five ingredients’€”making it totally doable for the busy holiday season.

Have you been buying clementines? How do you like to eat them?