Many of us have visions of the sugar-laden gelatin masquerading as cranberry sauce that so often is served during the holidays. Some sugar is necessary to balance the cranberry tartness, but it does not need to be refined sugar and the sweetener content does not need to be that high when incorporating other fruits or non-cane sugar sweeteners to balance the tartness. The following recipe uses 1/6 of the sugar usually recommended in the form of fresh squeezed orange juice and Grade B maple syrup. (Grade B maple syrup is not refined and has more minerals than other sweeteners. It does not impart a maple flavor, as Grade A does, and has greater sweetening power, allowing you to use less of it.)
Fresh Organic Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
2 c fresh cranberries
1/3 c maple syrup, Grade B (can use less, or substitute honey)
2/3 c fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tsp organic orange zest
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice dried cranberries (as many as you wish)
walnuts, chopped -or- walnut pieces, to taste (optional)
Directions:
Put fresh cranberries, maple syrup and OJ in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil. As soon as the syrup fully dissolves, add remaining ingredients. Cook until cranberries pop and sauce thickens.
Cranberry-Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
2 acorn squash
1 C cooked quinoa
1 onion, diced
1 apple, diced
1/4 C dried cranberries (Saturday Tastings might try it with fresh cranberries!)
2 T olive oil
2 T orange champagne vinegar OR apple cider vinegar OR orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in halves and scoop out the seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a baking pan, or wrap in foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until the inside flesh is just fork tender.
While the squash bakes, saute the apple and onion on medium heat until soft and lightly browned (about 5-10 minutes). Add the cranberries and cooked quinoa. Turn heat to low.
Whisk olive oil, vinegar (or orange juice) and cinnamon together. Add into stuffing mixture and stir over low heat until well mixed. Fill cooked squash with quinoa mixture. Bake uncovered an additional 10-15 minutes or until topping is browned.
~Leslie Gecy
(This is an area in which we showcase recipes and tips for using our products in a healthy manner. If you have a recipe you would like us to feature, please leave it at the Co-op or email me so that we can feature it in the newsletter. -LG)
photo credit: elana’s pantry via photopin cc