Filled with good-for-you stuff like vitamin C and antioxidants, citrus fruits fortify your diet. Although great as snacks in and of themselves, they can also be used as primary ingredients in a variety of recipes. Plus, they have more health benefits than you know, so get creative with citrus fruits!

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Of course vitamin C comes to mind when you think of oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes. But did you know that citrus fruit can keep cholesterol levels down? Hesperidin and naringin are 2 compounds that raise your good cholesterol and reduce the potential for blood clots, both things that can keep heart disease and stroke at bay.

Citrus fruits keep the outside of your body healthy and looking good, too. Vitamin C fights signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles by neutralizing free radicals in your body with their antioxidants. Really, these superficial benefits only serve as icing on the cake for the really great things that antioxidants do, like prevent cancer. Eating a serving of citrus fruit daily can also help you lessen cellular damage.

A serving of fruit is:

• 1 whole piece, raw
• 1/2 cup juiced
• 1/2 cup frozen, chopped

Now that you know how much citrus fruit you should consume to get all of its great benefits, let's check out some inventive ways to incorporate them into your diet.

(Adapted from The Food Network Magazine's recipe in the August/September 2009 issue)

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Cook time 10 minutes | Serves 4

This dish gets wrapped up in foil and cooked on the grill, which means you can make it without suffering through any heavy cleanup.

Ingredients:

• 4 - 6 oz. trout fillets
• 1 orange, cut into rounds, peel on
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 3/4 tsp. crushed coriander seeds
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

First lay out 2 large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with the shiny side up. Drizzle the sheets with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of sliced almonds and 3/4 cup teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds. Brush all 4 trout fillets with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Put each fillet, skin-side down, on top of the nuts.

Take your orange slices, cut into rounds with the skin left on, and lay them over top of the fillet. Lay another trout fillet on top of all this with the skin side up. Sprinkle the whole thing with more almonds and coriander seeds. Now, you need to make the foil wrap.

Pull the sides of the foil up and fold over to make a pouch. It will resemble a baked potato when you are finished. Crimp the sides to seal it, leaving enough room for steam.

Cook over high heat on a grill or over campfire coals. Cook it until the fish is just cooked through and the almonds are nicely toasted. After about 8 to 10 minutes, it should be done and you can remove it from the heat. You will need to loosen the almond crust because it may have cooked to the bottom of the foil.

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Roxie's Heavenly Heart

After spending all that time outlining the healthy benefits of citrus fruits, it should be noted that they taste great in cocktails too! This recipe was created by mixologist Dale DeGroff and is named for the show tune from the musical Chicago. Serves 8.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of tequila
• 2 cups chilled blood-orange juice (or orange juice)
• 1 cup orange-flavored liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec)
• 1 bottle chilled champagne

Fill a shaker with ice and combine the tequila, blood-orange juice and liqueur. You will probably need to do this in 2-3 batches. Strain the mix into champagne flutes. Top off with the champagne. You can garnish with an orange peel, either by making it into a twist or by hanging a slice on the edge of the glass. Cheers!

Lemon Sabayon with Grapefruit

(Adapted from Kay Chun's recipe from Gourmet Magazine)

Serves 6

This dessert's tart citrus flavors will wake up your taste buds and the airy lightness won't weigh you down like other desserts. Sabayons are traditionally served warm, but if you can, serve this one chilled.

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• 3 grapefruits
• 2 whole eggs, large
• 2 egg yolks, large
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter

First, cut the peel from the grapefruits. Try your best to remove all of the pith (the white stringy stuff). Cut out the individual segments and portion them out equally among 6 bowls.

Take a metal bowl and inside of it whisk the whole eggs, yolks, and sugar until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. You need to use a metal bowl because you are now going to transfer the entire thing to rest on top of a saucepan full of simmering water.

Immediately begin whisking and continue to do so until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add 1/3 of the allotted lemon juice and whisk until the mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Now add 1/2 of the remaining lemon juice and whisk until it re-thickens, about 1 minute.

Continue whisking and add the remaining lemon juice. Continue with the whisking until an instant-read thermometer shows 170° F, which should take about 7 to 8 minutes.

Next, remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, one half at a time, until fully dissipated. Allow to cool slightly. When cooled, spoon the warm sabayon over the grapefruit segments in their respective bowls. You probably won't use all of the sabayon, in which case, you can serve the extra on the side. To chill it, just cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator. Serve it either the same day or the very next day.