orange juice

While fresh-squeezed orange juice has graced America's breakfast lineup for years, there are lots of methods for incorporating its delicious flavors and properties into other culinary traditions, too. If you need some ideas for how to make the most of a fresh squeeze, here are five ways to help bring OJ to your table.

1. Bake it into brunch. Take a twist on traditional brunch favorites with recipes that call for orange juice. Giada De Laurentiis has a recipe for a sweet berry strata that's sure to be a crowd-pleaser at any big brunch spread.
2. Construct a creative cocktail. While we love the classic mimosa, this Spring, you can get even more creative with some orange juice cocktails. We're partial to the Rossellini, which pairs fresh orange juice with white wine and vermouth, or a colorful tequila sunrise.
3. Add it to cooked vegetable. Bringing new depth of flavors to veggies like roasted beets is easy when you switch up the water and roast them in the juice. Also, there are tons of veggies that are complemented by a squeeze of citrus. For a fresh take, try a squeeze of orange instead of lemon.

Keep reading for two more fresh orange juice ideas.

Earlier this week it was reported that the FDA halted all imports of foreign orange juice. It was suspected that the orange juice, particularly imported from Brazil, had been contaminated by a fungicide banned in the United States. While the FDA has lowered the alarm level (assuring us that there is no immediate health risk from trace levels of this fungicide), we can't help but be a little nervous about sipping our morning OJ. We want to know how you feel about this. Are you ignoring the reports and still starting your day off with a bright glass of sunshine, or are you steering clear of this potential contamination?

Are you a sucker for a morning glass of orange juice? Or do you prefer to eat an orange instead? Oranges are packed with vitamin C, the little miracle vitamin that helps protect against immune system deficiencies and cardiovascular disease.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends a daily intake of 75mg of vitamin C each day for women, and 90 mg per day for men. To get an idea of how much that actually is, a medium sized orange contains 69.7 mg of vitamin C, whereas a cup of orange juice provides 97 mg of vitamin C. But overall, which is better? Eating an orange or drinking orange juice?


Pros of Orange Juice

• Orange juice can help undo the damage of an unhealthy meal on your body by counteracting the inflammatory effects. This is attributed to the fact that oranges have more than 60 flavonoid antioxidants. Eating a regular orange also provides this health benefit, but it's more likely people will drink a glass of orange juice after a meal, rather than eat an orange.

For more on how juice and oranges compare keep reading.

OK, so the fern bar isn't ripe for revival just yet, but the Harvey Wallbanger, the mainstay of that era, has made something of a comeback.

"Harvey is essentially a lemonade, only with vodka," cocktail historian Martin Cate explained of the familiar-flavored drink. "People love orange juice, vanilla, the herbal quality."

Indeed, the Harvey has managed to top San Francisco menus in many incarnations: with bubbly, alongside brunch, and as a classic pitcher standard — just like in the 1970s when, Cate said, the drink "became a cultural phenomenon.
"They used to sell a party kit with cartoons dressed up named Harvey Wallbanger, and it gave you a recipe for how to make a giant punch bowl. The Wallbanger was a big deal."

To enjoy a blast from the past in your own home, you'll need Galliano, an anise-tinged Italian liqueur. Cate recommends using the brand's new formula, which has more alcohol and less vanilla sweetness, and he prefers to incorporate the liqueur rather than floating it. To achieve an authentic version of the seventies classic, read more.

It's almost World Series time, and chances are you've sided with either the Yankees, Rangers, Phillies, or Giants. Since I'm a San Francisco gal, I'm hoping the Giants will go all the way! Naturally, when I heard about a special cocktail that was crafted for "Giants fans interested in showing their SF spirit," I had to give it a try. The simple concoction was created by Rafael Jimenez Rivera of Ame and consists of fresh-squeezed orange juice, lime juice, and rum. If you like rum, you'll love this drink. However, for a more delicious cocktail, be sure to select a good quality rum. To show your support for the Giants, get the easy recipe here.

Florida's inclement weather this Winter is no pulp fiction. Due to a deep freeze in January that impacted tomatoes and citrus, Tropicana is saying it has no choice but to raise prices on its orange juice. In May, Tropicana plans to keep the price steady on its Pure Premium orange juice half-gallon cartons, but reduce their size from 64 to 59 ounces. Its gallon-sized jugs will stay the same in volume, but go up in price by five to eight percent.According to the company, the Florida citrus industry has produced the smallest crop in 20 years. Its yield is down 12 percent from last year, after a freeze damaged a large portion of the produce. Part of this devastating cost is being passed off to customers. I'm not that bothered by the price increase — it likely won't be more than 50 cents extra — but I think the practice of shrinking sizes is deceptive. How do you feel about the move?

Source: Flickr User justinlai

The majority of you love your slow cookers, but many commented that you don't like a bunch of preparation before hand. While I understand the ease of throwing everything into a pot and letting it cook, just 20 minutes of effort can take a dish from just OK to truly scrumptious. That is the case for this slow cooker Cuban chicken; it requires browning, but it greatly enhances the dish.

The sauce is full of complex flavors, including fresh bay leaf, sweet citrus, and caramelized onions and garlic. The chicken falls off the bone and is perfect served over brown rice, with a simple salad. It would also be divine stuffed into a taco topped with guac and sour cream! If you want to take your slow cooking to the next level, keep reading for the recipe.

What breakfast is complete without a cold glass of juice? I love the flavor of both fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, but never thought about which was more healthy.

Since both are citrus fruits, they seem equally nutritious, but when I compared the two, there's more of a difference than I expected. To see what I discovered, read more