It’s holiday time!! One of the favourite things for people to do over the holiday season is EAT! Being a food lover myself, I definitely look forward to this time of year. Delicious food is a great way to bring family and friends together to connect, laugh, create memories and of course treat our taste buds to delicious food. When I say ‘treat’ I don’t mean filling up on sugar filled cookies and other unhealthy fare. I mean treating ourselves to flavours, food combinations, and healthy dishes that make our taste buds sing and smile with amusement. One of my favourite ‘treats’ at this time of year is home-cooked organic turkey with cranberry sauce. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two times of year where I eat this combination and I must say… I have a smile on my face for every bite.
The problem is that most cranberry sauces are made with sugar. If you look at a typical cranberry sauce recipe it involves 3 cups of cranberries, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of sugar. YIKES!! That is one cranberry sauce that does not look good naked.
Don’t worry, there’s good news.
Cranberry sauce can actually be healthy and taste just as fabulous (well I think this healthy one actually tastes better!).
My mother-in-law and I set out to create a delicious healthy cranberry sauce that the family would love. We tried a number of different combinations and this recipe below is our favourite!
Healthy Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
3 cups of cranberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (NOT table syrup)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed clementine juice (optional) My mother-in-law prefers it just with the maple syrup and I prefer it with the clementine juice 🙂
Directions:
1. Add water and cranberries to a pot and bring to a boil. Then turn down the temperature and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
2. Add in the maple syrup and clementine juice (if using) and stir. Continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken slightly.
3. Let cool. Serve and enjoy!
If you make this cranberry sauce or if you have another healthy cranberry sauce recipe, share it with us in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
Also, if you know anyone else who loves cranberry sauce over the holidays, share this recipe with them through email, twitter and facebook. Help us make this holiday season a little bit healthier one spoonful of cranberry sauce at a time!
