It’s citrus season in the United States—that time of year when you can find those little citrus sweeties all over the grocery store. Tangerines are in season from November through April.
There are three major types of tangerines that we tend to find here in the western hemisphere: tangerines, mandarins, and tangelos. These cute little fruits are smaller than oranges, and they also tend to be easier to peel because the peels are much looser, so they make a wonderful snack. Kids love them and, really, who doesn’t?
You start finding tangerines around Thanksgiving. The most common tangerine varieties we find here are Dancy and Fairchild.
Mandarins are known for their exquisite sweet flavor and their light orange color. Satsuma, Clementine, Royal, and Honey are the most commonly found varieties of mandarin in the US.
Tangelos are very juicy and have quite a mild flavor. A hybrid between a tangerine and a grapefruit, tangelos aren’t as sweet as the other types of tangerines.
There’s a lot of nutrition packed into these small orange fruits.
A single tangerine contains:
1 gram of protein
2 grams of fiber
45% of the Vitamin C you need for the day
6% of your RDA (Recommended Daily Amount) of Vitamin A
4% of your RDA of calcium, magnesium, and potassium
2% of your RDA of manganese, copper, phosphorus, and zinc
Tangerines also contain notable amounts of Vitamin B6, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, and riboflavin.
So much goodness in these yummy little guys!
I love tangerine segments in green salads and they’re divine in coleslaw (really!), but don’t forget to pop out the seeds!
Mandarin Orange Teriyaki Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast meat cubed
- 1/4 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
- Non-aerosol cooking spray
- 7 1/2 cups torn mixed salad greens
- 1/2 cup torn Frisee
- 1 can Mandarin orange sections drained, 11-oz.
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds toasted
- 3 tablespoons sliced green onion
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large zipper-topped plastic bag, combine chicken and teriyaki sauce; seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Drain and discard marinade.
- Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; add chicken; cook and stir for 5 to 7 minutes or until no longer pink; transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate until chilled.
- In a large bowl, combine salad greens, frisee, chicken, oranges, carrot, almonds and green onion.
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine remaining ingredients; shake well and drizzle over the salad; toss gently to coat.
One Response
When my daughter was in high school, she developed the skill of peeling a mandarin unseen in her pocket during class for a sneaky snack!