It's the most wonderful time of the year...
And that means cranberries are in every grocery store, fresh and in silver cans. I can remember rushing to the holiday dinner table, excited to eat all the traditional festive foods, fragrances wafting, into my six year old nose.
I enjoyed the stuffing the best. That salty concoction of soggy bread and mushy celery just couldn't be found at any other time of the year.
What I DID NOT partake in, was the can formed, Ocean Spray, cranberry sauce that still had the pleated implants from the side of the can. I never understood why people liked that Jell-o configured glob, smeared across their perfectly good turkey. (At that time in my life I didn't even know about all the high fructose corn syrup that they fill it with).
I'd much rather stick to the soggy bread.
Though I'm still not a hug fan of the canned cranberry sauce, I am on a mission to redeem the tainted reputation of cranberries because they're truly a wonderful food when they're not dismembered and crushed into a can.
Cranberries are quite remarkable
Here are just a few benefits of these festive berries:
Aiding in the prevention of urinary tract infections
High in antioxidants that help to stop cancer causing free radicals
Relatively low in sugar
High in vitamin C and vitamin K
High in fiber, which reduces cholesterol
Convinced yet?
If you're not, go ahead and give this recipe I created a try. I bet your opinion of cranberries will change if you fostered the same prejudice against these small berries that I did. I recently took it to a holiday gathering and the plate was clean when I left:)
I was inspired to make this recipe from one I found on pinterest but made some major changes to it to make it my own and just how I liked it! One of my favorite parts to the recipe was that it was super quick to assemble and not complicated- perfect for a busy time of year when you're rushing off to many different events!
Maple cranberry goat cheese crackers
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp finely chopped white onion
2 tsp fresh sage, shredded
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp orange zest
salt to taste
favorite cracker (I used "everything" seasoned crackers)
1 4-ounce package honey flavored goat cheese, crumbled
Directions
1.Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
2. Combine cranberries, maple syrup, chopped onion, thyme and cinnamon in glass baking dish.
3. Place in oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes, or until cranberries are popping open and are easily squashed with a fork. Once they reach this point, continue to smash the cranberries with a fork until consistency becomes well blended.
4. Add in orange zest at this point and salt if neede
5. Assemble the cranberry sauce onto crackers and top with goat cheese, garnish with fresh sage.
Need further recipe support or tips on how to cook? I'd love to help! Just click "let's do this thing" or "reach out" on my website at honestnurtirioncda.com
Have a beautiful day!
Mikyah RDN, LD
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