For most of my life, cranberry sauce was kind of an afterthought at Thanksgiving. I remember it more on leftover sandwiches than with the actual meal. I think that is because sometimes we totally forgot to put it on the table. Then my sister-in-law introduced our family to homemade cranberry sauce, which revolutionized their place on our table. They now hold a place of honor, almost as a side dish more than a condiment.
We generally make the recipe on the back of the bag of cranberries. Why mess with something great? This year, I remembered a recipe I saved several years ago for a friend called “cranberry ketchup”. I thought I’d give it a try. I don’t know that this replaces traditional cranberry sauce, but it definitely provides an interesting flavor. Forget the sweet and embrace the tart. I will be offering both to my Thanksgiving guests this year.
Enjoy!
Tangy Cranberry Sauce (Makes about ¾ cup)
6 ounces fresh cranberries
2 tablespoon dried minced onions
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup water
¼ cup vinegar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have popped open. Let cool slightly.
2. Blend until smooth. Chill thoroughly before serving.
Nutritional Information (Amount per tablespoon):
Calories: 45
Protein: 0 g
Fat: less than 1 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Fiber: .7 g
Sodium: 3 mg
Recipe Notes: You can use frozen cranberries, if they are not packed in any juice. You could use about ¼ cup of regular chopped onions, but I found it easier to just throw in the dried ones. This does have a strong vinegar taste. You might consider reducing that by half and substituting with more water if that isn’t your thing. The original recipe called to serve it with sweet potato fries, which you can see I did. It was good, but serving it with turkey or other meat would also be delicious.
Recipe Source: Cooking Light
Low iodine adjustment: No adjustment needed.
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