Mealtime Magic: Lemony Recipes from Limoneira

Megan Roosevelt, Founder of Healthy Grocery Girl® and spokesperson for Limoneira’s Lemons For Life™ teamed up with Yvonne Condes and Sarah Auerswald the founders of MomsLA, to create some delicious recipe. Limoneira has long asserted that lemons are one of the most versatile fruits around and this spring, they also want to put our money where our mouths are and bring you some great tips for how to make this year’s celebrations just a little bit zestier.

Brown Sugar Lemon Mascarpone Muffins

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 8 oz. cold mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. Mix in lemon zest. Add mascarpone cheese and mix in with a fork, stirring until crumbly, evenly dispersed and covered in flour. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, egg, vanilla extract and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just combined and wet. Use a ¼ cup measure or ice cream scoop to fill the muffin liners 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until tops are set and golden. Remove and let cool before serving.

Grilled Chicken Lemon Salad
Chicken

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Salad

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup raw sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Chicken: Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and thyme. Pour over chicken breasts in nonreactive bowl (such as stainless steel – NOT aluminum). Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Heat a charcoal grill and cook chicken for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Refrigerate and chill. Slice breasts diagonally into 3/8 inch thick slices.

Salad: Toss chicken plus its juices, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar snap peas, red and yellow bell peppers, lemon slices, salt and pepper in a bowl. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.