National Cranberry...

National Cranberry Day is November 21. National Cranberry Relish Day is November 22. National Eat a Cranberry Day is November 23. I'm sensing a theme here...

My daughter has begun to insist on cranberries every Thanksgiving. They make my daughter-in-law gag. I can take them or leave them. Until this.

Cranberry Orange Salsa

I found the recipe here. I decided to make it because it was just a different take on the usual cranberry sauce. Rather than eat it like a salsa, with crackers, however, I found I much more enjoyed it like a fruit salad. Slightly tangy but nice.

Funnily enough I read that another name for cranberries is bounceberries, because they bounce when they are ripe. Maybe we should start a new tradition...

Cranberry Orange Relish

A new Whole Foods opened in town recently, and we all piled into the car to check it out. While there, my daughter informed us of another, slightly similar but not as cool, store located just across the street from the new Whole Foods. I had friends who had been employed at this other store, so I had a knowledge of its existence, but had never visited. So, we did.

While there wasn't anything  new or exciting about it, there was one exception. A lady was giving out samples of foods to entice people to order complete dinners. We got to sample a cranberry orange relish and it was fabulous! I have always made a cranberry dish for Thanksgiving, but its always the same dish, every year. This recipe was quite different. I had to find a way to make it.

Cranberry Orange Relish

One navel orange, unpeeled and cut into chunks
One bag of fresh cranberries
3/4 c. stevia (see note)
Chopped pecans

Place everything except the pecans in a food processor and chop until finely chopped but not pulverized. Place the mixture to a bowl and add the pecans. Stir to mix well. Cover and chill overnight. Serve. Enjoy!

Note: As much as I love stevia, it did not sweeten this very much. In fact, it was quite a tangy dish. I later added a can of pineapple to it, and it greatly improved the sweetness.

Cranberry Cumberland Sauce

Years ago a friend of mine shared this recipe with me. I have made it every Thanksgiving since. It is definitely a family favorite!

Cranberry Cumberland Sauce

2 lbs. whole cranberry sauce (the recipe is on the bag of cranberries)
1/2 t. dry mustard
juice and zest of 2 oranges
1 t. cornstarch
1 t. lemon juice
2 T. vegan sugar or stevia

Dissolve the mustard in the orange juice and add the cornstarch. Stir until well mixed. Add this mixture to the cranberry sauce, along with the lemon juice, orange zest and sugar. Heat the sauce, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Pour the hot mixture into a bowl and let cool. Chill well before serving.