You won’t find a cranberry sauce “in a can” on my holiday table this year (or ever for that matter), and you don’t need to either! Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce is incredibly simple to make, nutritious, and equally affordable to store bought canned cranberry sauce. My cranberry sauce recipe contains orange, orange zest, pomegranate, apples, warming spices, and of course loads of tart cranberries!
Cranberry sauce used to be a side dish that I routinely passed on during the holiday season because I never enjoyed it, even though my mother makes a delicious one. Over the years, I’ve grown to love and adore this side dish not only for the nutrient benefits, but also the sweet and slightly tart flavors. Now I love serving this cranberry sauce alongside all the other delicious veggie sides and entrees for Thanksgiving, dolloping on top of BanaNO Cream, spreading it on my Nourishing Nut & Seed Bread or simply as is!
Beat the bloat post Thanksgiving meal with cranberries. Cranberries are a natural diuretic (i.e. they release fluids from the body), which is a perfect counterbalance to your Thanksgiving meal as they tend to be loaded with sodium. Be sure to drink plenty of water the day of and day after your Thanksgiving to flush the body of access sodium and water that your body may be holding onto, which also is from higher carbohydrate intake and maybe one too many cocktails.
Cranberries are most known for their health benefit on urinary tract infections and bladder infections, and it’s true! These little powerful berries are not only high in antioxidants, but also anti-inflammatory benefits, cardiovascular benefits, immune support, anti-cancer, and digestive system benefits (H. pylori). The benefits I talk about related to cranberries DOES NOT include fruit juice, cranberry mixed cocktail, or any other processed cranberry food item; I’m speaking directly to the whole real food source.
Cranberries are considered a low-sugar fruit (about 4g sugar per cup), which is great for those of you who are either diabetic, watching their overall sugar/carb intake, or are on the path to reaching your fat loss goals.
Nutrient breakdown of CRANBERRIES |
- Fiber } 5g fiber per 1 cup
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin E
- Antioxidants
- Phytonutrients } phenolic acids, proanthocyanins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids.
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup pomegrante seeds
- 1 large apple (1 cup), diced
- 1/2 cup raw orange, cubed
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- small pinch of sea salt to taste
- Combine all ingredients (except orange juice and pomegranate seeds) into a sauce pan and heat on medium-high.
- Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, reduce to simmer for 15 minutes on low heat until the cranberries have broken apart, all the fruit has been softened.
- Take of the heat after everything is soft and thickened.
- Stir in the pomegranate seeds and orange juice last.
- Serve warm or chilled.
- Keeps for 5-7 days in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Be sure to “save” this recipe in your Recipe Box for this Thanksgiving or for the rest of the holiday season. I hope you all enjoy this side dish as much as I do!
Also, stay tuned this week as I’m sharing a couple more recipes before Thanksgiving that you will LOVE!
xx McKel
