Zest up Your Life with an Orange

ZEST up your life! Save the zest from your next Orange and pack in colour, nutrition, and flavour simply be adding a little orange zest.

You’ve heard of simple ideas like freezing some zest and water in ice cube trays and throwing some zest into your tea cup for added flavour. But really orange zest can be added to many foods. Consider saving orange zest and tossing it into muffin batter or your next bowl of breakfast cereal, add zest to cake and cookie recipes or simply into rice as it cooks. For dessert, sprinkle some orange zest over frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Orange Vinaigrette is easy to make. In a screw-top jar combine 3/4 cup orange juice, zest of the orange, 1/4 cup of white wine or champagne vinegar, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup water. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Shake to mix up the flavours and pour over your salad.
If you want to punch up the flavour add one or more of the following ingredients:
A minced clove of garlic, finely chopped fresh or dried basil and a tiny pinch of cayenne
Makes approximately 1 & 1/2 cups or tasty dressing.

Orange zest in mashed sweet potatoes will make you ask for more…Add 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 teaspoons grated orange rind to 5 to 6 medium-sized sweet potatoes. Sea salt and black pepper to taste. Delizioso!

Thoroughly wash oranges before using and buy organic if possible.

Last but certainly not least…add some dried orange peel to your next bath for an aromatic and rejuvenating soak. ‘Orang’ you happy to learn what to do with those peels!
Posted: 2009-04-27

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