I love cranberries. I will actually pop frozen whole cranberries like candy.
Cranberries are a holiday superfood if ever I’ve seen one; very rich in anti-inflammatory compounds such as flavonols, anthocyanins and tannins, cranberries also contain proanthocyanidin compounds that help with urinary tract health.
Unless you dump a pound of sugar on them, of course.
I thought I would share my own holiday recipe for cranberry sauce, which I created a handful of years ago once I realized how easy it is to make cranberry sauce (well, it takes a bit longer than opening a can!). It is delicious with your traditional meal or as a layering compliment to breakfast parfaits, oatmeal and chia puddings.
Cranberries contain pectin, a soluble fibre that gels the sauce. Because it doesn’t contain a lot of sugar, the pectin won’t gel as tightly as a traditional sauce. To optimize gelling, don’t refrigerate the sauce until totally at room temperature!
Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 227g pack fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons - 1/4 cup maple a sliding scale of tart to pleasantly sweet-tart
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to maintain a gentle boil until sauce is thickened up, stirring occasionally, takes about 10-15 minutes.
- Sauce will thicken further as it cools to a loose jam consistency.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
