I have fond memories of grapefruit breakfasts growing up.  Every year, the kids in the youth group at church would have a “fruit sale”, and my mom was always that parent you could count on for a fantastic order of grapefruit.  Our family loved it!!  I remember flying down the stairs many a morning before school, and seeing my dad or mom standing there segmenting out a grapefruit for me to enjoy.  (I know, I know, I was a spoiled grapefruit eater!)  And then of course, squeeeeezing out every last bit of delicious juice after all of the slices had disappeared.  Mmmmm….

Nowadays, of course, I have to segment my own grapefruit!  But I still love it, and love experimenting with different ways to enjoy it!  Without a doubt, broiled grapefruit is one of my favorite go-to breakfasts.  It literally just takes a second to slice the grapefruit, sprinkle on some brown sugar (or some other add-ins I’ve mentioned below, if you want to get fancy!), and then pop it in the broiler or toaster oven for a few minutes.  And then a heavenly, warm, and wonderful sweet but tart grapefruit is yours to enjoy.

Healthy, quick, and delicious.

My kind of breakfast or snack anytime!  :)

Sugar-Broiled Grapefruit Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 grapefruit, sliced in half
• 1-3 tsp. brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to “broil”, with the rack on the top shelf (so that the grapefruit will be about 1.5 – 2 inches from the heat).

Arrange grapefruit halves, cut side up, in a broil-safe pan.  (You may need to use a knife to slice a small part off the bottom of each half to make sure they are sitting level in the pan.)  Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.

Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the sugar is melted and the edges begin to brown.  Remove and then use a knife to segment the grapefruit slices.  Serve at room temperature.

Ali’s Tip:

Some other ingredients you can mix with the brown sugar include:

• crystallized or ground ginger
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon or other spices
• agave nectar

Ok, I have to admit that I saved the best for last.  Behold, the color for “Smoothie Week” – GREEN!

This smoothie happens to be modeled after one of my favorite fresh juices called “clean green” from a neighborhood coffee shop.  When I first saw it being served there, I realized they weren’t kidding with the name.  My camera was having a bit of trouble with the tone-on-tone, but have no doubt, this smoothie is GREEN!  :)

But have no fear — this smoothie is fantastic.  The simple fruit combination is fresh, sweet and delicious.  And — hard as it may be to believe — you honestly can’t taste the spinach.  Kind of crazy.  Without a doubt, though, the best part of this smoothie that you cannot leave out is the extra ginger.  The kick it gives at the end is no less than perfect.

I make this specific smoothie at least once a week.  It truly is a favorite.  Enjoy!!  :)

Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed
• 1 Granny Smith green apple, cored
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 orange, peeled
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well-combined.

Ali’s Tip:

I usually double the recipe when I make it to store half in the freezer for another day.  It actually makes great leftovers!  :)

Ok, this one may technically be closer to “cream” or “taupe”.  But the 5th color in “Smoothie Week” is the WHITE smoothie!

The inspiration for this one comes from one of my all-time favorite snacks — apples dipped in peanut butter!  What was once an after-school snack, and is occasionally now breakfast or lunch, has been transformed into the world of smoothies!  Also added in some bananas (another favorite fruit with peanut butter) to give it some extra thickness.

A great, naturally-sweet smoothie that everyone will enjoy!  :)

White Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 apples, cored
• 2 bananas, peeled and frozen
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1/2 cup milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup ice (if needed)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well-combined.

Ali’s Tip:

Another fun twist on this one is to use grilled (or roasted) apples and bananas.  TOTALLY kicks it up a great notch!  :)

Yellow is the fourth, delicious color in “Smoothie Week”.  And I’m pleased to say this smoothie is all about pineapple!

Any of my friends will tell you I go a little nuts when fresh pineapple goes on sale at the store (texts sent out to everyone, pineapples as gifts, inviting everyone over for pineapple something or other).  It kind of makes me ridiculously happy.

So for the yellow color in “Smoothie Week”, I decided to make one of my favorite smoothies — a pineapple-banana-coconut combination.  I ended up using some coconut milk I had onhand, which also gave this a touch of creamy-ness.  But if you enjoy coconut, you’re welcome to add in some extra grated coconut.  (Or if you don’t like coconut, you can also substitute in some juice instead.)

Always a winner of a smoothie in my house.  Enjoy!!

Yellow Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into large pieces
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (I used “light” coconut milk)
• 1/2 cup ice

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well-combined.

Ali’s Tip:

For a more concentrated smoothie, feel free to omit the ice and freeze the (pre-cut) pineapple and (pre-peeled) banana ahead of time.

Indeed.  ORANGE is the third color in the rainbow for “Smoothie Week” this week at Gimme Some Oven.

I’ve actually already posted two of my favorite orange smoothie recipes on the blog over the past year — my beloved pineapple orange banana smoothie and a fresh orange smoothie (a la Orange Julius).  But today I wanted to present another favorite.

Basically, this is a pure orange smoothie — lots of oranges (you can use pretty much whatever kinds you love), no dairy (milk, yogurt, etc.), and a special extra kick of ginger!  Oh my goodness.  If you don’t usually put ginger in your smoothies, you must give it a try.  Definitely one of my favorite little additions, and it’s healthy too!

So cheers to orange smoothies of all kinds!

Orange Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 oranges, peeled
• 2 mandarin oranges, peeled (or 1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained)
• 1/2 cup orange juice (or any juice)
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well-combined.

Ali’s Tip:

To make this creamier, feel free to sub in milk or yogurt for the orange juice.

The next color of the day for “Smoothie Week” here at Gimme Some Oven is RED!  Although this second batch I made, pictured above, turned out a little more “magenta” than in this first post.  Either way – YUM!

As you may have guessed, this recipe calls for lots of strawberries.  But the best ingredient hidden in there happens to be my absolute favorite fruit — a mango!  Ha, I realized while enjoying this that it’s basically the smoothie (non-alcoholic) version of my strawberry mango margaritas.  :)

Definitely a simple smoothie, but packed with color, nutrients, and a deliciously sweet flavor.  Enjoy!

Red Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 mango, peeled and cored
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice (or other juice)
• 1/2 cup ice (if needed)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well-combined.

Ali’s Tip:

Another fun twist would be to add some fresh lime to this.  Yum!

It’s “Smoothie Week” here at Gimme Some Oven!  So to kick off our week of literally eating the rainbow, we’ll be featuring the berry-licious color – PURPLE!

I’m sure many of you have noticed before that whenever you tend to add in some blueberries or blackberries to a smoothie, the purple color of the berries often wins over the other ingredients.  But this recipe is purple through-and-through, featuring a combination of your favorite berries (such as blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or even cherries), and then accented with some rich pomegranate juice and a little banana (for texture and sweetness).  It’s packed with antioxidents, delicious flavor, and of course…that fabulous purple color.  :)

I also love this one because it’s not overly-sweet.  The berries provide a fresh, slightly-tart kick.  But if you’d like to sweeten your smoothie even more, feel free to just add in an extra banana, an apple, or some vanilla yogurt.  Enjoy!

Purple Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups frozen berries (I used 1 cup each of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries)**
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup ice
• half a banana

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well-combined.  Serve or freeze immediately.

Ali’s Tip:

**I prefer to use frozen berries in smoothies — either fresh berries that I have frozen, or berries I’ve purchased already frozen at the store — to avoid adding in too much extra ice.  But fresh berries totally work as well.  Just add in extra ice until it’s the temperature you’d like.  :)

Cranberries + Pomegranates.

The combo happens to be one of my favorite juices in the morning.  So I figured, why not give it a try with a cranberry-pomegranate sauce this Thanksgiving?!?

Initially, I was just going to add in some of my favorite POM juice and let it give some extra kick to the sauce.  But since I had a ripe pomegranate at home (ok, I confess — three ripe pomegranates!), I decided at the last second to throw in some fresh pomegranate seeds as well.  And oh my word — what fun!!!  In addition to lending that irresistibly sweet and tart flavor to the sauce, the pomegranate seeds also provided some fun mini-”crunch” to the normally smooth sauce.  Totally easy, and totally delicious — I loved it!

So if you’re looking for a new spin on cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, give this a try!  Perhaps the best part is that it makes fantastic leftovers too — perfect on any cooked meats, seafood, or veggies.  Or toss it in the blender with some fruit and make a smoothies.  :-)  However you enjoy it, I think you’ll love it!

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries
• 2 cups (16 oz.) POM pomegranate juice
• 1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar (depending on your preferred level of sweetness)
• seeds from 1 pomegranate (optional)

Method:

Combine the cranberries, pomegranate juice and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.   Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Then remove from heat, and stir in pomegranate seeds.  Refrigerate until ready to serve (and sauce will thicken as it cools).

Ali’s Tip:

Feel free to also add in a cinnamon stick while this cooks to give it an extra kick!

(Also don’t forget to check out the great opportunity I mentioned last week to get some great prizes from one of the NFL’s sponsors, Procter & Gamble. Check out their “Take it to the House” program and photo contest, where prizes include a $10,000 community donation to support NFL PLAY 60 and an at-home visit from a local NFL legend! One lucky Grand Prize Winner will even win a trip to the 2011 Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  Show us how you and your football family bring NFL game day to life at home at www.facebook.com/TakeItToTheHouse (click on the contest tab)!

Also, you have until Nov. 30 to enter the Folger’s “Best Part Of Wakin’ Up At Home For The Holidays” essay contest!)

Since I’m on such an apple cider kick this fall, thought I would end this week of apple recipes with a fun presentation idea….apple cups!

These are really much simpler than they look, and are such a charming way to enjoy your favorite apple cider!  The only requirements are some apples, a paring knife, and a spoon.  (Although if you have a melon baller, it’ll make the scooping slightly easier!)

Cute, delicious, and nutritious!  Give them a try!!  :)

Apple Cider Cups Recipe

Ingredients:

• large apples
• lemon juice
• apple cider, either homemade or storebought
• optional: cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice and/or star anise for garnish

Method:

On a cutting board or sturdy surface, use a knife to cut off the top of the apple.  Then take a paring knife and carefully outline where you’d like the “rim” of your apple cup to be.  (My rims were about 1/4″ wide.)  Use a spoon to carefully begin scooping out the center of your apple until you have a nice “cup”.  (A melon baller also works well for this.)

Also, if your apple doesn’t sit exactly level, take your paring knife and just slice off a few millimeters to even off the bottom to make it even.  Just be careful not to let your knife cut through the bottom or sides of the apple when hollowing it out, or the cider will leak out!

Once you have the inside of the apples hollowed out, brush a little lemon juice over the inside of the apples (to prevent browning).  Then fill with your favorite apple cider, garnish with cinnamon or spices if you’d like, and serve!

Ali’s Tip:

You could also warm the apple cups in the oven before serving.  I just wouldn’t leave them in too long, or they will lose their firmness.

How fun are these?????

I happen to be a HUGE fan of caramel apples.  But as my friends and I discussed at a local Apple Festival this year — caramel apples seem so much more enjoyable (and easier to bite into!) when the apples are sliced instead of whole.  So when I saw this recipe recently in “Taste of Home”, I knew I had to give it a try!

But in addition to topping the apples with caramel, they also suggest melting some marshmallows for an extra sweet drizzle, and then sprinkling them with chocolate chips and chopped peanuts.  I ended up taking a shortcut and just using caramel sauce (like you buy for ice cream) instead of unwrapping and melting a bag of caramels.  But chose to stick with their simple topping ingredients, since those happen to be favorites.  If you want to branch out, though, I’ve included a list of other fun topping ideas below.

Let’s just say — I think this was my speediest photography job yet.  Click.  Click.  Eat.  YUM.  :)

Apple Nachos Recipe
(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

• 4 medium tart apple (I used Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced very thin
• juice of 1-2 lemons
• 1 jar caramel sauce (or melt together 36 caramels and 1 Tbsp. water in microwave)
• 30 large marshmallows
• 1/3 cup butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Method:

After slicing the apples, immediately dip them in lemon juice (or give them a good sprinkle) so that they do not brown.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt marshmallows and butter over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Remove and set aside.

Arrange apple slices on a large platter.  Drizzle with caramel, and then with the melted marshmallow mixture.  Sprinkle with peanuts and chocolate chips.  Serve immediately while the caramel is still warm.

Ali’s Tip:

Other fun toppings for these might include:

• Heath Bar (toffee) chocolate chips
• shredded coconut
• crushed pretzels
• sprinkles
• melted peanut butter and chocolate mixture