Healthy Food Friday – Cranberry Sauce

So, I know Thanksgiving is over, but I wanted to share a recipe with you that I discovered last year and has made a repeat appearance on our tables.  Plus, if you are looking at plans for your next holiday meal, this could be a welcome accompaniment… but in our world, Cranberry sauce isn’t just for the holidays.  It makes a wonderful accompaniment to pork chops, chicken, or even mixed into muffins.  As quick and easy as this recipe is, you could make this for ANYTHING and with the orange juice and Ginger, my whole house smells warm and inviting while it’s cooking.

A quick note though – I only use FRESH cranberries for this recipe but wouldn’t you know that the grocery stores here ONLY sell fresh around Thanksgiving?  Yep, I picked up an extra bag for my freezer but consider yourself warned.

FYI – this recipe comes from one of my FAVORITE sites – The World’s Healthiest Foods

Directions:

1. Bring orange juice, ginger, zest and cinnamon to a boil on high heat in a medium saucepan.
2. Rinse cranberries and add once liquid is boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
3. Add crushed pineapple and honey. Remove from heat and cool.

Yields 2 cups

I Told you!  Easy, right?  And… if you are used to canned cranberry, after trying this, you may never go back.

Some things you may not know about Cranberries.. (also info found on The World’s Healthiest Foods)

Cranberry provides us with an astonishing array of phytonutrients. Among these phytonutrients are phenolic acids (including hydroxycinnamic, caffeic, coumaric, and ferulic acid); proanthocyanidins (especially epicatechins); anthocyanins (including cyanidins, malvadins and peonidins); flavonoids (including quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol); and triterpenoids (especially ursolic acid). Many of these phytonutrients offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer health benefits. Cranberries are also an excellent source of vitamin C, a very good source of dietary fiber and manganese, and a good source of vitamin E and vitamin K.

**Want more healthy recipes? Join us for  Healthy Food Friday at Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention &weight loss for women **