So Much More than Cranberry Sauce

Like many American families, my family does the same thing every year for Thanksgiving.  Go to Mom and Dad's house, argue over who gets stuck at the "kids table", and relish in Mom's delicious home cooking.  We also eat the same things every year - seriously - the exact same things.  But my family is so sentimental, somebody might freak out if we don't get the mashed potatoes or peas and bacon (OK I would freak out!).  But in addition to the turkey, stuffing and the rest of the fixings, we always have my grandmother's cranberry sauce.  Well...its actually my grandmother's Aunt Peggy's recipe, but regardless of where it actually came from, its quite delicious.  Its sweet, tart and as I now know, its a cinch to make!

This year I was in charge of making a huge bowl of Aunt Peggy's cranberry sauce and it barely made it to "day after leftovers."  My husband, sadden by the lack of extra sauce, was happy to see that today I made another batch just for the two of us.  The recipe is really way too easy not to make, plus after a little sugar reduction, this recipe packs a BIG nutrition punch!  Obviously filled with cranberries, this sauce also features oranges, celery, apples and walnuts.  The cranberries and apples are filled with high amounts of fiber, vitamin C and a host of antioxidants.  And the walnuts are a great source of healthy protein plus are super high in those heart healthy omega-3 fats!  But enough nutrition, here's the recipe:

Aunt Peggy's Cranberry Sauce:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 cup roughly chopped celery
• 1 large navel orange, chopped with skin
• 1 cup finely chopped roasted walnuts
• 1 cup finely chopped apple
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 packet sugar free jello - cranberry flavor if you can find it

Put the cranberries, celery and orange (with its skin on) in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped - but not into a paste.  Pour cranberry mixture in a bowl and add finely chopped apple, walnuts and sugar.  Leave in the fridge over night - this allows all the juices from the fruit to seep out.  After 8 hours or overnight, add in the packet of jello and stir to combine.  Again, stick the mixture back into the fridge and allow to set for about 4-6 hours.  Sauce should last about 2 weeks covered in the fridge.  I cut the amount of sugar down...quite drastically from the originally recipe.  If you find the sauce slightly tart, feel free to add more sugar or sugar substitute.  

Now you can eat this plain right out of the bowl, but I personally love this over a creamy greek yogurt or cottage cheese - or used in place of jam or jellies.  It's a lot more versatile than I originally thought.  I bet it'd also be really good slightly warmed over vanilla ice cream....hmmm might have to try that out soon!  But no matter how you eat it, I'm sure you'll love it and maybe it'll become a Thanksgiving tradition in your house too!