What’s so great about

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Cranberries?

Why should we eat cranberries, so we’d need any cranberry salad recipes anyway?

Thanksgiving Tradition

It’s that time of year when people in the States celebrate Thanksgiving.  Considering that cranberries are one of three fruits that are native to the United States and Canada, that makes them quite appropriate for a Thanksgiving celebration.  Cranberries were used as both food and medicine by Native Americans, so it’s not unlikely they were part of the first Thanksgiving celebration.

Originally, this fruit was called a “craneberry” because the Pilgrims thought the spring blossoms on the cranberry bush resembled a crane.  At some point it was shortened a little and became a cranberry.

What makes cranberries good to eat?

These little red fruits are rich in fiber and are an excellent source of vitamin C.  They also have lots of phytonutrients such as flavonoids that are good for your health.  They are high in antioxidants, so a good fruit to eat!

And it’s not just an old wives tale that cranberries are good for bladder infections.  The anti-adhesion properties of cranberries prevent certain harmful bacteria from sticking to cells, and are not just good for urinary tract infections, but potentially also helpful in preventing bacteria that cause stomach ulcers and gum disease.

Since cranberries are such a healthy fruit, albeit a tart one, they are a great part of your diet for life, not just at Thanksgiving!

So where are the Cranberry Salad Recipes?

I hadn’t forgotten!  These recipes don’t use fresh cranberries but instead the cranberry sauce that comes in cans.  I’m not sure how well it rates on the health-o-meter, but you can decide for yourself if you’d like to try it.  If  you want to make your own cranberry sauce, you could better control the ingredients.

However, the nice thing about the first recipe is its simplicity.  Only 4 ingredients are needed to make this cranberry dish.

Cranberry Salad Recipe #1: Quick & Easy Frozen Cranberry Salad

1 16-ounce can of whole berry cranberry sauce
1 small can (about 8 ounces) of crushed pineapple, drained
1 8-ounce container of sour cream
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
Optional: Lettuce leaves

Combine all the ingredients (except lettuce leaves). Make sure they are well blended then pour the mixture into 12 muffin cups. You can use papers to line the cups, or if you have some of the newer silicon muffin cups, even better.

Freeze the mixture overnight. Pop the little salads out of the silicon cups or peel off the muffin papers, and serve at once on lettuce lined plates.
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Cranberry Salad Recipe #2: Layered Chicken-Cranberry Salad

Chicken Layer:

2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup cold water
2 cans (about 2 1/2 cups) of condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Soften the gelatin in the water.  In the meantime, heat about 1/3 cup of the soup.  When it is warm, stir in the gelatin mixture until it is completely dissolved.  Add the remaining soup and stir until well blended. Cool.

Next fold in the mayonnaise and parsley, then pour the salad into a mold that was rinsed in cold water.  Chill until firm.

Cranberry Layer:

1 16-ounce can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

Break up the cranberry sauce, smashing it with a fork.  Soften the gelatin in the cold water.  Set the mixture in a pan of boiling water and continue to stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Mix the gelatin mixture and the cranberry sauce until well-combined.  Pour over top of the firm chicken layer.

Put back in the fridge to chill until completey firm.  Unmold and serve. 

So there you have it, two more cranberry salad recipes to add to your collection.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’d like to check out some of our other posts on cranberries, here’s a list:

* How To Eat Fresh Cranberries

* Fresh Cranberry Relish Recipe

* Cranberry Ice Cream & Cranberry Sauce Recipes

* Cranberry Pear Brown Betty Recipe

* Fresh Cranberry Gelatin Salad

For even more information on cranberries, visit The Cranberry Institute.

Post from: Health Food Made Easy

Cranberry Salad Recipes

How To Eat Fresh Cranberries

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Here’s another way to use fresh cranberries – make ice cream!  Seriously!  I found this recipe in an old cookbook, and since it uses fresh cranberries, thought I would include it in this series of healthy cranberry recipes.

CRANBERRY ICE CREAM

2 cups cranberry sauce (recipe follows, or use one of your own)
3 tablespoons of orange juice
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
2 cups of heavy cream

1. Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Chill.
3. Churn/freeze per instructions of your ice cream machine.

This fresh cranberry sauce recipe was in a previous post on how to eat fresh cranberries:

OLD-FASHIONED CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 1/2 cups honey (or 2 cups sugar)
2 cups water
1 quart of fresh cranberries
Pinch of salt

Boil honey or sugar and water gently (barely boiling) for about 5 minutes.  Add the fresh cranberries, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes without stirring.  Allow to cool without removing lid.  Makes about 1 quart of sauce.

Post from: Health Food Made Easy

Cranberry Ice Cream

Cranberry Pear Brown Betty

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If you’re looking for a good recipe to use up some fresh (or frozen) cranberries, made with only the healthiest of ingredients, look no further.  I found this recipe in The Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook.  It’s a nice blend of whole grain bread, pears and cranberries, sweetened with stevia.  I think it would make a great fresh cranberry dessert for Thanksgiving.

So here we are, a tasty recipe for using those healthy cranberries.

CRANBERRY PEAR BROWN BETTY

2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs*
2 tablespoons melted butter, or extra virgin olive oil
6 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice (best freshly squeezed)
1 cup fresh cranberries (frozen may also be used)
2 tablespoons stevia extract*

1. Combine bread crumbs and butter in a bowl; set aside.
2. Combine pears, lemon juice, cranberries and stevia in another bowl.
3. In greased slow cooker stoneware, spread one-third of the bread crumb mixture on the bottom. Put half the cranberry and pear mixture over top.
4. Repeat layers.
5. Finish with a layer of crumbs, then pour cranberry juice over the top.
6. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, until fruit is tender and the mixture is all hot and bubbly.

*Note: To make the dried bread crumbs, toast 4 slices of whole wheat bread, then tear the slices into pieces and put them through a food processor with a metal blade.  Process until finely ground.
*Note: If you don’t have stevia, try 1/4 cup brown sugar or evaporated can juice sugar.

Post from: Health Food Made Easy

Fresh Cranberry Dessert