Lemons

Lemons, lemons, lemons! Where can I start except to say how much I love them. I am never, ever without a few in the house. So versatile and so inexpensive, they are an important part of the healthy diet. Full of Vitamin C, lemons, as well as other citrus fruits, also contain several anticancer phytochemical components. And, like other fruit, they provide many of the vitamins and minerals necessary to a healthy diet.

Without adding many calories they provide a wonderful seasoning to a dish. Fat is what often gives food it’s flavor but to maintain a healthy diet we need to find other things we can add to provide the taste, not to mention a little zip, we crave.

You can use them to:

-make a quick marinade for chicken or fish by squeezing some juice into a container of choice, add some crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, some pepper and a bit of olive oil. Zest some of the skin and add that too for extra zip and flavor

-make a nice marinade for a salmon filet by squeezing ¼ of a lemon into the pan in which the salmon will be cooked. Add a tblsp of tamari, and the same of olive oil. Sprinkle some sesame seed into that and add some grated fresh ginger. Place the filet in skin up and let it sit for about ½ hour before cooking.

-make a fresh vinaigrette dressing of 1 tblsp lemon juice, 3 tblsp olive oil, a smidge of sugar, some fresh ground black pepper and some herbs, fresh if you have them. In fact lemon can be substituted for vinegar in nearly any salad dressing recipe, although you may want to add a bit of sugar to compensate for the tartness. Add ¼ tsp of dry mustard to heat it up.

-try another dressing I like to make: 1 part lemon juice, 1 part balsamic vinegar, 6 parts olive oil and a few drops of sesame oil. It’s a lovely balance of flavors; adjust to suit your own palate

-add some zing to a stir fry or grilled meat by squeezing some over the dish just before serving

-try with black tea (Earl Gray is a great choice) instead of milk…so good

-make a morning sip by squeezing some lemon into a cup of boiling water; let cool a bit and drink. It’s great for your skin and your circulation.

I’m always hunting up new ways to use them and one of my favorite cookbooks is called “Lemon zest” by Lori Longbotham. Check it out; you’ll find lots of ideas to get you started.

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