#100-orange-juice

#100-orange-juice

In the late 1990s, the California Prune Board set out on a quixotic mission to amend this sales-flattening reputation. It would attempt to rechristen this ancient fruit in the hopes the prune could one day be as unencumbered as an apricot, a raisin, or a fig.

This frosty, pale yellow puree holds a secret: a super citrusy, sweet tart flavor owed to a load of lemon zest and juice. When I'm in the mood for a sunny, citrusy drink, this is what I crave! Whiz it up with frozen fruit and milk in a blender, and it's one of the tastiest, most satisfying smoothies around. You can even call it a "lemon pie smoothie" to make it even more fun!

This Winter Citrus Salad is absolutely gorgeous and has a variety of incredible winter fruits like pomegranate seeds and tangy citrus fruits! This salad makes a great appetizer, side or main dish. You will love how versatile it can be! Add a beautiful piece of sliced chicken or crispy air fried chickpeas on top to add a little protein and make a full meal out of it. This salad it very customizable as long as there is some citrus on it.

Every morning I join a group of friends for coffee and conversation at a cafe in my neighborhood. We call ourselves the "coffee klatch." This time of year, one of the key klatchers, Michael Soriano, often comes bearing a bag of Meyer lemons, picked from his tree. Last year he even did a drive-by in front of my apartment, delivering a bag of those fragrant golden orbs just for me. Such luxury! And free. It felt like a heist.

Grocery stores that offer the best produce know it's crucial to nail a few key factors. First, produce needs to be fresh - that feeling when you get home and open a packet of cucumbers only to find that they're soggy and covered in slime is not a good one. Second, fruits and vegetables need to be priced right. While shoppers can expect to pay a premium of about 50 percent more for organically grown vegetables, anything more than that starts to feel unreasonable.

While I love a good cocktail, on a regular basis you'll find me drinking lighter options like sparkling water or tea. After helping my husband Alex kick his soda habit years ago, we began to discover drinks that actually make you feel energized and balanced, from cucumber-infused waters to homemade herbal teas. What's great about switching to healthier beverages is you don't have to sacrifice flavor.

While it's long been recognized as a vital nutrient, many people are working even harder lately to get more protein into their diets. Protein gives us energy, helps produce new cells and keep them healthy, aids in transporting oxygen throughout our bodies, and assists in creating antibodies that fight illness. It's no wonder we're often looking into ingredients that pack a protein punch.

Now 51 years old, the pint-size Beverly Hills Juice still draws generations of fans and offers punchy, sweet and herbal concoctions made from local persimmons, blood oranges, greens and ginger, the custom hydraulic press cranking through the best of the season at nearly the same prices for half a century. It's credited with proliferating pressed juice in L.A., but the shop's founding family says it was built on the shoulders of health-minded giants.

For an unexpectedly good hors d'oeuvre, char tangerines. Yes, tangerines. Letting the blackened citrus steep in an herby oil yields a sweet, silky and pleasantly bitter result. This recipe for charred tangerines on toast was the first recipe I got a lot of confused comments about. And I understand. It's a little strange. But I also will say it's really good.

Social media, the internet, and globalization have made the world a much smaller place. Not only are we bombarded with foodie influencers sampling exotic cuisine in real time, but you yourself can easily obtain said exotic ingredients at your local grocery store or restaurant menu. In fact, many foreign or otherwise non-native products are quickly becoming the "it" food, stateside. And the bold citrus flavor you'll keep seeing in food and drink in 2026 is yuzu.