Raw Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Sauce two Ways
My good friend Clarissa and I debate the raw versus cooked cranberry relish and it has come to be that I make both. I love raw cranberry sauce and she insists on cooking the cranberries. So here it is, cooked raw. I use dates to sweeten. And if you are concerned about sugars, please substitute stevia!
Raw Cranberry Sauce
You can freeze both these recipes.
Yep, it is Paleo and it is on the whole30.
1 organic orange cut into 8th with skins on seeds removed
1 organic apple with skin
3 cups organic fresh cranberries
½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon or raz el hanout spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc..
5 drops of stevia or 2-4 tablespoons of date puree (see below) or your sweetener of choice.
In a food processor, blend orange and apple and cranberries and pulse until a nice consistency.
Taste and add more sweetener to your desired sweetness.
This will keep for 2-3 days, so make it ahead!
Note: cinnamon is a nice spice to add carefully to this dish!
To make date paste:
10 dates plus ¾ cup hot water.
Soak the dates in hot water for a few minutes, until the outer peel easily slides off. Then, mash with a fork until a paste forms or put in the food processor. . Now you could add apple or pineapple to this as well and if you are in a pinch, applesauce will do!
Cooked Cranberry Sauce Ingredients - the more traditional way
3# fresh organic fresh cranberries
1 large organic orange cut into 8 pieces skin on please ( a great source of soluble fiber!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon -You can use raz el hanout as a substitute for cinnamon
And optional : ½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
3 tablespoons Date paste or 2 packets stevia or 5 drops
Start by giving your organic orange a good scrub to clean it. Rinse the cranberries too.
Chop the orange in 8 + pieces (with skin on) and place in the food processor.
Pulse in a food processor until pea size.
Put the cranberries and orange pulp into a heavy based pan and add the crushed coriander seeds and ground cinnamon. There should be enough juice from the orange to start the cranberries cooking nicely without burning. But if you need to add a little bit of water. You do not want your cranberries to burn, you want them to stem enough to burst open. Heat on low and bring to a gentle simmer.
The cranberries will start to pop and split, sounding like a mellow and somewhat laid back popcorn session. Once they pop open they are cooked! Now, taste. If you want this to be sweeter, you can add 3 drops of stevia or the date paste. Allow it to cool and serve or if you want a smooth texture, place it in a food processor, and blend well. Store in the fridge and use within 1 week.
A few notes about Cranberries!
Eat Cranberries!
Cranberries are loaded with fiber, rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, copper, manganese, and vitamin K. If you must sweeten then, consider stevia. Stevia is considered calorie-free because it has less than 5 grams of carbohydrate per serving. Stevia also has a glycemic index and glycemic load (GI) of zero.
The date paste, while super sweet and should be saved for holidays, they provide fiber, potassium, B6, iron, and they have lots of antioxidants. They do contain fructose, average GI of dates is 42. They also contain rich dietary fiber and nutrients such as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin A, K, and B-complex. These nutrients can alleviate constipation, heart disease, and diarrhea, among other complications.
Organic Cranberries are hard to find, but not impossible.
Cranberries are susceptible to many pests and fungal pathogens that are difficult to control, which makes organic growing particularly arduous. Harvesting them in water, flooded bogs makes them susceptible for mycotoxins and mold.
There are some growers of organic cranberries that are dry harvested. All the ones therost that I have interviews on Cape Cod, all dry harvest)
Chemicals commonly used on cranberries include diazinon, a pesticide that controls insects on a range of fruit, vegetable, nut and field crops. And Roundup® is often used to control the pesty hearty weeds and vines that grow in cranberry bogs. And just a reminder Glyphosate works by blocking an enzyme essential for plant growth. There are many studies that propose that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup®, is the most important causal factor in this epidemic of poor gut health and gastronomic health issues. Reproductive issues associated with celiac disease, such as infertility, miscarriages, and birth defects, can also be explained by glyphosate.
