ENJOY GRAPEFRUIT RAW
To consume grapefruit at optimum flavor, keep the fruit at room temperature at least 2 hours before eating.
The traditional half grapefruit sectioned with a grapefruit knife simply can't be beat. Enjoy it as a breakfast, lunch, or dinner starter. If the grapefruit's distinct bitter bite is not to your liking, sweeten with a spoonful agave nectar, maple syrup, date sugar, or Florida crystals and add a dash of cinnamon.
Nothing compares to the delightfully rich flavor of a glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. When fresh grapefruit is not available, frozen juice is an excellent substitute.
Grapefruit juice adds a robust zing when blended with other fruits such as apples, pears, and oranges. Prepare a refreshing beverage or smoothie in the blender.
Grapefruit has a natural affinity for the avocado. Combine them in a salad along with greens and some crunchy vegetables like jicama, celery, sweet onions, or kohlrabi. Add a tangy dressing or one with a hint of fruity sweetness.
When citrus is in season, take advantage of the varieties by joining them together in a fruit cup, a beverage, or a salad. Include white, pink, and red grapefruit for more color variety.
Grapefruit sections, either pink or white, along with orange and tangerine sections make a tempting salad dish when arranged over spinach or baby greens and topped with sweet onion rings and a creamy avocado dressing.
Elysa Markowitz in her book Living With Green Power creates an innovative zesty soup by juicing 2 oranges and 3/4 of a peeled grapefruit. She then garnishes the soup with 1 sliced avocado, 1 orange, and the remainder of the grapefruit.
Make a grapefruit spritzer with sweet grapefruit juice and seltzer.
Score the whole grapefruit and peel as you would an orange. Separate the top portion of the sections, keeping the bottoms attached. Open like flower petals and fill center with fruit salad or a tangy chopped vegetable salad.
Prepare a unique sorbet with grapefruit juice. Thin slightly with water, sweeten to taste, and freeze about 2 or 3 hours. Remove and stir, and return to the freezer until ready to serve.
Grapefruit, with its bracing bite, lends extraordinary punch to any food combination. Enhance your salad of mixed greens with a unique oil-free salad dressing made from fresh pink grapefruit. Add sweet fruits such as chopped apples or pears, and raisins to balance the acidic nip of the grapefruit.
PINK GRAPEFRUIT VINAIGRETTE
1 C. (240 ml) chopped sweet pink grapefruit sections with membranes
1/2 C. (120 ml) + 2 T. water
1/4 C. (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. guar gum*
4 T. maple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until grapefruit is fully pureed, about 30 seconds. Using a funnel, pour into a narrow neck bottle for easy serving. Shake well before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Will keep about a week. Makes 2 cups (480 ml).
*Guar gum is a dried white powder that comes from the seed tissue of the guar plant grown in India and used for thickening. The powder is available in health food markets.