Today's Tip: November Recipes #14, 15 & 16 - Bring on the Cranberries!

When you hear the words "cranberry sauce", what's the first thing that pops into your head?  For me it used to be a molded purple-ish blob on a plate that still had can indentions on the sides.  I was never brave enough to try it - it just looked unappetizing.  Now if you like cranberry sauce out of the can, then my apologies for criticizing it!  But today I want to share with you some new ways to enjoy those cranberries this Thanksgiving...or anytime of year for that matter!

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1 apple, peeled, cored & chopped

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup pure cane sugar or 2 Tbl Truvia

1/2 tsp apple pie spice

Place all ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes. Chill or serve warm.

Cranberry Salsa

1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 T chopped green onions

1 T fresh lime juice

½ t ground cumin

1 Anjou pear, cored & finely diced (I have used canned pears in a pinch)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

  

To prepare salsa, combine first 7 ingredients.  Cover and chill.

Our favorite thing to serve this salsa with are quesadillas made with leftover turkey!

Kickin' Cranberry Sauce PER SERVING (1/3 cup): 63 calories, 1g fat, 20mg sodium, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 8.5g sugars, 1g protein -- POINTS® value 1* Ingredients: One 12-oz. bag whole cranberries One 11-oz. can mandarin orange segments in their own juice 1 cup peeled and finely chopped apples 1 envelope (1/4 oz.) dry unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup oven roasted Almonds (optional) 1/3 cup Truvia (or more, to taste) 1/4 cup pure cane sugar (or start with 2 Tbl and add a little more at a time to taste) 1/8 tsp. cinnamon Directions: In a medium pot, combine cranberries, Truvia, and sugar with 1 3/4 cups water. Set stove to medium heat, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes, uncovering to stir occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small dish, combine gelatin with 1/4 cup cold water, stir well and set aside. Turn off heat and stir in gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved and thoroughly combined. Stir in cinnamon and apples and mix well. Transfer mixture to a bowl, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (overnight is best). Once chilled and set, remove mixture from the fridge and give it a good stir. Drain juice from the can of orange segments. Roughly chop orange segments and drain any excess liquid from them. Slightly crush almonds so that they break into smaller pieces. Add chopped orange segments and almond pieces to the cranberry sauce, and mix thoroughly. Serve with lean turkey, pork, or chicken, or anything else you like cranberries with! MAKES 12 SERVINGS