November 20, 2018

Vanilla Orange Cranberry Sauce

I enjoy turkey, but I absolutely love cranberry sauce. I cook a turkey just to have the sauce. I eat cranberry sauce with just enough turkey to make it work. Cranberries are wonderful. I even loved the horrible canned stuff growing up. Cranberries are one of my favorite foods.

But as in all things, there is the normal and then there is the totally above average. Cranberries are that way also. Such an easy thing and so many ways to make them wonderful. Actually, it is rare that I find a cranberry recipe I don’t like. And there are some recipes that I can’t get enough of. In fact the recipe below is one of those recipes. I actually bottle cranberry sauce in November, so I have it on hand if I have a craving during the year. A good cranberry sauce can be used for many things, from a great turkey sandwich, to a wonderful french toast topping. I could do a month of blogs just with cranberries. And best of all, they are really good for you too.

Did you know they are high in fiber? One cup provides 16% of your needed daily fiber intake. Did you know that the high levels of manganese helps maintain normal sugar levels and that cranberries are high in antioxidants? They are loaded with vitamin C and one of the main benefits of vitamin C is it is needed for the production of collagen that keeps our skin looking youthful and health Interesting that cranberries are available when we most need vitamin C in the fall and winter.

Here are some of the other benefits:

Cranberries are high in phytonutrients that can guard against inflammation assisting in reducing heart disease.
Cranberries fight plaque in the blood stream and on your teeth.
Cranberries help your body remove toxins in a healthy way, assisting in maintaining natural bacteria.
Good cranberry juice aids in urinary tract infection.
Cranberries go after bad cholesterol using the polyphenolic compounds found in cranberries to assist in the production of HDL, good cholesterol.
The main health benefit of eating cranberries is that they make you feel wonderful. They excite the taste buds and add to the entire culinary experience.

Enjoy your Cranberries and enjoy the recipes below.

Happy Cranberry Day and Thanksgiving

Chef Brad

Chef Brad’s Cranberry Delight

1 small pkg. fresh cranberries
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon orange flavor or 4 drops orange oil
2 cups sugar
1.5 cups water

Place water and vanilla bean in a blender and chop up bean into small pieces.
Place in sauce pan and bring to boil and add cranberries, bring to boil and add sugar and bring to boil.
Cook until cranberries burst.
Turn off heat and add orange flavor.
Cool and eat every bit of it right away! It goes great with turkey, but not necessary.