This morning I looked in the basket of fruit sitting on the counter; seems like I have been eating these little clementines,  3 or 4 a day and they keep multiplying. 

I look forward to buying a box every year, as they are so easy to peel and very sweet.  If anyone is wondering; the clementine is a variety of the mandarin orange family.  Also a member of that family is the tangerine.  Sometimes folks will get the tangerine and the clementine mixed up.  Here are some differences.  The tangerine is larger and darker in color that the clementine.  They both peel easy; but the clementine is seedless while the tangerine has white seeds.  I think the biggest difference is that the clementine is a lot sweeter than the tangerine. 

When I get tired of eating these little guys plain, I like to do a low fat stir fry and add them to it!  I add crushed red pepper flakes to the stir fry and the sweetness of the clementines “mellow” out the spiciness of the dish.

This will make a large stir fry, will serve 6 to 8.  I like to serve it with a side of wild rice or brown rice.

SPICY ORANGE BEEF

6 clementines

4 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1.5 #’s boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced

8 cups of fresh broccoli florets cut small

6 scallions cut into 2 inch lengths

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips

4 cloves of garlic minced

6 T. low sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (can use more if you like more heat)

Grate the zest from the clementines; set aside.  Peel the clementines and separate into sections.  Stir together the corn starch and 4 T. of water in a cup until smooth; set to the side.

Spray a non stick stir fry pan or a deep non stick skillet with cooking spray and set over med. high heat.  When the pan is hot, add half of the beef and stir fry until browned about 3 minutes.  Transfer the cooked meat to a bowl and continue with the remaining beef.  Set aside so your pan is ready to stir fry the veggies.

Add the broccoli and the remaining 4 T. of water to the pan.  Cook covered for about 2 minutes.  Increase the heat to high.  Add the scallions, bell pepper, garlic, clementine zest, soy sauce & crushed red pepper flakes; stir fry for a couple of minutes.  Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the pan along with the clementines.  Stir fry until heated through; about 3 minutes longer.

Per serving average calories are 190 calories per 1 1/4 cups.  This does not include rice.

Enjoy!

I also was on the Food Network site and Robin Miller posted these little tidbits as well – thought I would share them with you!

Fresh clementine salsa: Combine clementine sections, diced roasted red peppers, canned black beans, diced jalapeno pepper, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice and ground cumin.

Easy dessert topper: Top store-bought cheesecake with orange marmalade and clementine sections.

Citrus barbecue sauce: Puree clementines into your favorite barbecue sauce for chicken, pork and steak.

Clementine-infused cake: Replace the milk in your favorite white cake mix with clementine juice; add a little finely grated clementine zest to the frosting.

Easy citrus breakfast or snack: Top whole grain toast with cream cheese and clementine sections.

Citrusy side dish: Add chopped clementine sections to your favorite rice pilaf mix and top with toasted nuts

I hope this helps if you have an abundance of little cuties at your house!