#52New Foods... Avocado and Grapefruit with Onions...

Keep trying news food together!... A mantra I have been championing over the last three weeks on my collaboration with Jennifer Tyler Lee's launch of her book The 52 New Foods Challenge. It has been a fun, resourceful guide packed with savvy food advice and tips, and excellent solution-based strategies that got my family eating, cooking and trying new foods together! On my last contribution, but by no means an end to continuing the learnings and inspirations in my kitchen, is a simple refreshing dish of creamy avocado and tart grapefruit. I had talked about Lee's strategy on Gateway Foods where each child has their own set of favourite foods that act as tickets to some of the more challenging ones for your family. My mission today is to get my kids to eat sour grapefruit without having them pucker their face up in resistance. My kids enjoy sliced ripe avocado dressed with crunchy bits of red onion, lime juice, EVOO, and sprinkled with sea salt and ground black pepper. And I thought serving grapefruit this way along with avocados would be a perfect way to smooth out the sour notes of grapefruit. These are winter ingredients and together they make an incredibly beautiful and refreshing pair! Served side-by-side on a plate, grapefruit will be in familiar territory and its juice intermingled with lime over buttery avocado is too delicious.  

Lay one or two thinly sliced ripe avocados on one side of a plate.

To segment a citrus: Slice a thin piece of peel from both the top and bottom of the grapefruit so that the flesh of the fruit is exposed.

Follow the contour of the grapefruit and slice the peel and pith of the grapefruit, starting from the top and moving your knife to the bottom. Repeat until all the pith are removed.

Hold the grapefruit securely in one hand. Using a paring knife, cut along the insides of the membrane into the centre of the fruit to remove the V-shaped segments. 

Place the segments beside the avocados. Using the leftover grapefruit membranes, lightly squeeze some juice over the avocados. Discard membranes.

Finish by sprinkling finely chopped red onions all over avocado and grapefruit, a heavy drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil, generous splashes of lime juice, freshly ground pepper and pinches of coarse gourmet salt such as fleur de sel. So vibrant and gorgeous!

Simply delicious with a new spin on one of our favourite dishes with avocado. 

Lime and salt on grapefruit actually made it taste sweet, not more tart. Interesting!  My second son definitely approves, whereas my oldest and youngest were still hesitant, but I am not discouraged. In fact, I am more determined and I'll make it a personal challenge to find new ways in which they will eat it. I know it's all about persevering, exposing them to this citrus fruit often and being creative in finding different ways, formats and other combinations in which they will warm up to it. Game on!

The Core Principles in The 52 New Foods Challenge.

Here is a recap of the foods I have shared with you on my family's journey these few weeks with The 52 New Foods Challenge. I hope you've learned a lot as I have. Go pick up a copy of this book in the book stores or on Amazon (it is topping the "Hot New Release" chart!)  Here's to getting all our kids to eat the full spectrum of foods!

Sweet Potatoes, Persimmon: Chinese Sweet Potato and Persimmon Dessert Soup

Rainbow Carrots: Sweet and Sour Glazed Rainbow Carrots and Pickled Rainbow Carrots

Quinoa: Tabbouleh Salad with Quinoa

Edamame: Asian Edamole

Kale: Toasted Sesame Kale Stir-Fry

Avocado and Grapefruit with Onions