Cranberry Recipes and More

Cranberries are a mysterious little ball of goodness that seems to only get noticed over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The cranberry fruit is a wonderfully nutritious food, that is used in many recipes. Are you looking for cranberry recipes? Do you need the perfect cranberry sauce recipe? Learn a little bit about the cranberry, some fascinating history of cranberries, and find some delicious recipes to try out while you are here! Recipes for cranberry drinks, cranberry salads, cranberry desserts, and more can be found here. I will be continuing to add more recipes as time goes on. Feel free to post your own favorite cranberry recipe!

4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 C. Raw cranberries
• 3 C. Apples
• 1 and 1/4 C. Sugar
• 1 and 1/4 C. Oatmeal
• 1/2 C. Brown sugar
• 1/3 C. Flour
• 1/3 C. Walnuts, chopped
• 8 Tblsp. Butter (1 stick)

Directions:

Wash cranberries and discard any bad ones. Chop apples into bite sized pieces.

Mix apples, cranberries, and sugar together in a bowl. Butter a large casserole dish. Pour fruit mixture into the caserrole dish and spread evenly over bottom.

Blend the oats, brown sugar, and flour in a bowl. Melt butter in a pan and add it to the flour mixture with the chopped walnuts. Stir gently to combine. Spread over apple-cranberry mixture in the casserrole dish.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until fruit is soft. Test with a toothpick.

Cool and serve.

Cranberries have been well loved by people on the northern hemisphere of the world for centuries. With their gorgeous dark red color, and loads of vitamin C, what isn't to love about them!

In Russia and Nordic countries wild harvesting is still quite popular!

With the increasing loss of suitable habitat in Scotland, scarcity of the cranberry plant has made wild harvesting prohibitive.

in the United States, we generally only think to go to the store to pick up a bag of cranberries!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. couscous
• 1 and 3/4 C. vegetable broth
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons walnut, almond or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 C. Fresh Mint, chopped
• 1/3 cup pine nuts

Directions:

Cook the couscous according to the package directions, using broth instead of water. The pinch of salt may be added to the broth. If more liquid is needed to cook the couscous, add water, a little at a time.

While the couscous is cooking, roast the pine nuts in a very low (250° F) oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Wash and finely chop the mint leaves.

When the couscous has finished cooking, drain any excess liquid. Pour the couscous into a serving bowl.

Add the oil and the lemon juice. Stir well to coat all the grains. Add the cranberries, mint, and pine nuts. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Can cranberries be eaten by themselves, or do they need to have sugar added to be edible?

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 4 C. Cranberries
• 1 lbs. Apples
• 2and 1/2 C. Brown sugar
• 1 C. Water
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 C. Walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Wash cranberries and discard any bad berries. Wash the apples. Peel and core the apples. Chop apples into bite sized chunks. Combine cranberries, apples, brown sugar and water in a large sauce pot. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cinnamon and walnuts, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Cool and serve.

Some Native American tribes used the name 'Sassamanash' for the red berry we now commonly recognize as the 'cranberry'. They are credited as the first people to recognize the cranberry as a source of food, and revered them as a great gift. There are tribal legends which speak of how cranberries are a gift sent to earth by the Great Spirit in the beak of a crane.

In about 1620, Native Americans are credited with introducing the cranberry to English settlers in Massachusetts. It was made as a gesture of friendship as the early settlers were starving and did not know the local plants. The cranberry was incorporated into what has become our traditional Thanksgiving feast.

These settlers, or pilgrims, soon learned the value of the cranberry. Laws were even passed to protect the wild bogs in some areas. These laws specified certain times and people who were to be allowed to harvest the cranberries. A hefty fine was assessed on all others who attempted to harvest cranberries.

The cranberry were so highly valued because of the medicinal benefits they imparted.

Yield:

1 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Whole Oranges
• 2 cups Cranberries
• 1/4 cup Almond or Olive oil
• 1/4 cup Onion, minced
• 1 Tblsp. Cilantro, minced
• 1 Tblsp. Ginger Root, minced

Directions:

Grate or zest 4 Tbsp of the orange peel. Cut and peel all the white membrane from oranges. Coarsely chop orange sections.

Wash the cranberries, and discard any bad pieces. Coarsely chop fresh cranberries.

Combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt. Let sit at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Cranberries are full of a compound called ellagic acid. This compound has seen favorable results in cancer research, raising the hopes of scientists and patients alike. Ellagic acid has been seen preventing tumor growth and disarming the agents that cause cancer.

Cranberry juice is highly touted to heal urinary tract infections**. I credit cranberry juice as being the reason I was able to fight off a bad urinary tract infection and heal so quickly. It really worked for me. Make sure that you are drinking pure cranberry juice, not those sugary cranberry juice drinks! The high content of vitamin C is favorable in fighting off many other illnesses as well as destroying free radicals.

**The Journal of the American Medical Association has published research which proves the powerful beneficial effect that cranberry juice has on cystitis and urinary infections.

Native Americans and Pilgrims knew long ago of the health benefits held by the cranberry. Today, modern science is starting to unlock the mysteries of the cranberry, and prove what our ancestors knew back then. Cranberries are beneficial to your health.

Some of the benefits of eating or drinking cranberries are the eradication of free radicals as well as the prevention of:

• urinary tract infection
• gum disease
• stomach ulcers
• heart disease
• cancer and other diseases

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Cranberry juice
• 2 cups Limeade, frozen concentrate
• 2 cups Pineapple juice
• 1 can pineapple tidbits
• 2 oranges sliced
• 1 quart Ginger ale
• 1 1/2 liters Sparkling waterIce

Directions:

In a punch bowl, combine the cranberry juice with the limeade concentrate, the pineapple juice and pineapple tidbits. (Juice from the can of pineapple tidbits made be added or not as your tastes dictate.) Stir until the frozen concentrate is thawed and the mixture is well combined. Sugar may be added to make a sweeter tasting drink.

Just before serving, add the gingerale, soda water and ice. Float the orange slices on top for added decoration. Lime or lemon slices are alternative decorative ideas.

Ladle into cups and enjoy!