a little of each

I’ve recently become aware that I really like grapefruit.  And from a most unexpected source: my six-year-old daughter. As a child myself growing up in Florida, I found grapefruit to be worthless abominations that were Not Tangerines.  They were bitter, full of seeds, bitter, not tasty, bitter, and made a rotten fruit mess of the backyard. I will admit to a certain thrill and eewww-factor when a mushy grapefruit got pulverized by the lawn mower.  So, see? No love lost.

But then one day during this past year, Adeline tried a grapefruit, and, yes, it did have a healthy topping of powdered sugar, but she tasted it, liked it, and then proceded to devour the whole thing, including the juices, with abandon and impolite sucking noises.   I eyed the other half of the fruit and thought, heck, don’t I always encourage them to try things? Shouldn’t I pony up to this grapefruit?

So I did.  And wow, it was wonderful!  Tangy, fresh, sweet, and, yes, still slightly bitter, but not unpleasantly so.  I ate that sucker, Adeline happily drank the juice, and my worldview of grapefruit was changed.

When I saw this salad on Pinterest (love me some Pinterest – yes!!), I thought, let’s go for it!  When I saw the recipe was from Lauren Conrad, I thought who? what? why…?  (Seriously, who is this person, and why is she a thing?)  When I served it to my seder guests, I was a bit nervous.  When they loved it and went back for seconds and thirds, I knew we had a keeper recipe.  Thanks, Lauren Conrad, whoever you are!

Citrus, Mango, Avocado Salad

adapted from Lauren Conrad

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 grapefruit
2 navel orange
2 avocado
2 mango
bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Segment grapefruit and orange by removing both ends, cutting off all the peel, and cutting each segment of fruit between the white membranes. Do this over a bowl to save the juice that will spill out.
2. Slice avocado and mango into large dices.
3. Gently mix avocado and mango with citrus.
4. Mix reserved grapefruit juice with maple syrup and oil.
5. Plate baby spinach topped with a heap of the fruit mixture.
6. Drizzle dressing on the salad, then top with sliced almonds.