Tangy Orange Cranberry Sauce

For some reason, I cannot imagine a roast turkey dinner, without cranberry sauce.  When I was a kid I would only eat cranberry jelly; no lumpy berries for me!  But since I discovered fresh cranberries a few years ago, I have come to love the tart taste and meaty texture of the whole berry.

In the past, I have made cranberry sauce a couple of different ways.  And at Christmas this past year, I tried a lovely Cranberry-Apple Sauce… a bit different and really good.  I wanted to use less sugar and the apples helped sweeten the sauce considerably.

But for Easter this year, I wanted something a little more unusual.. .but again without too much sugar.

We have been really enjoying the small navel oranges that are available here lately. They are very sweet and very juicy and flavor-full so I decided to make an Orange Cranberry Sauce to go with our Easter turkey.

Now I did already know that cranberries and oranges go together. In the past I have shaved some orange zest into my cranberry sauce as it cooks… and I love the dried cranberries lightly flavored with orange that I was able to purchase from Trader Joes.

So the addition of a whole orange to my cranberry sauce was not a huge stretch… and it turned out so well and is so tasty, I wonder why I never thought of it before.
I started cooking the cranberries in some water and added my spices and a bit of sugar, then whizzed up a whole orange in the food processor.  When it was broken down into small bits, I added it to the berries, which were just starting to pop, and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes.

The Captain wandered into the kitchen, wondering what I was making cause he could smell a lovely citrus scent wafting out the doors onto on the balcony…

Next time you want to surprise your dinner guests with something a bit different, try this lovely Orange Cranberry Sauce. I think it will be really nice with some roast pork too.

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Makes 2 cups

• 1 bag fresh cranberries, 12 oz.
• 1 small whole orange, cut into chunks and seeded
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup white sugar

1. Mix cranberries with water, spices and sugar in a medium sauce pan and set over Medium-High heat.
2. Put chunks of orange into a food processor and whizz till pieces are quite small.
3. Add the orange to the saucepan.
4. Allow mixture to boil lightly  for about 10 minutes.  The berries will pop as they cook.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  The mixture will become quite thick as it cools.
6. Store in refrigerator till needed. Leftovers can be frozen.

Per 1/4 cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 51; Protein 0g; Carbohydrate 13g; Fat 0g; Fibre 2g.

Bubbling away on the stove, steam rising and spices smelling lovely!

The Captain's dinner plate. 

Printable Recipe

Are you a cranberry sauce fan or do you prefer cranberry jelly?

Store bought or home made?

Carrot Soup with Sweet Potato and Red Pepper

I have made this soup a couple of times… and realized today when making it again, that I haven’t posted the recipe before.  I was quite surprised and decided I should correct that little omission right away.

These are ingredients that I love individually, so blended together they become pure delicious bliss!  And the color is wonderful too.  And only to barely mention the lovely aroma while it cooks!

I am using homemade turkey stock in my soup, but feel free to sub whatever low fat chicken stock you would normally use for soup or stews, or even a vegetable stock if that is what you prefer.  Failing that, use water! 
 
And of course the measurement don’t have to be exact for the vegetables either… but if you use less, try using less stock too.  You want the outcome to be thick!

I used cumin for my spice because I am loving curried dishes right now, and I have added a dash of red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick, but if you like, you could use ginger and nutmeg and it would be wonderful… I must remember that for my next batch.

I find it easier to prepare all my veggies before I get started… if that suits you, good. If not, just make sure to have your onions and garlic ready first.  It did take me a while to get my carrots and sweet potato and red pepper ready.

I love to make big pots of soup and then freeze it in individual portions so that it is handy for snacks and for lunches on busy days.   Are you a homemade soup fan, too?

Feel free to add a dollop (how I do love that word) of yogurt or sour cream as you serve if you like, or stir in a bit of coconut milk.... Mmmm!

Carrot Soup with Sweet Potato and Red Pepper
Makes 6 generous one-cup servings

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 8 or 9 large carrots, about 24 oz, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 medium sweet potato, about 10 oz  , cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 medium or large red pepper, cut into chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 3 cups stock of choice
• 1 Tbs cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• Dashes of salt and pepper

1. Put the coconut oil in a large soup pot and place on the stove over MEDIUM heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic and saute gently till they become translucent, about 5 or 6 minutes. You don’t want the heat so high that they brown.
3. Add the sweet potato and carrot chunks. Saute about 2 more minutes.
4. Add the cumin and stir all the veggies to coat.
5. Add dashes of salt and pepper and then the stock.
6. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to LOW.
7. Allow the mixture to simmer about 45 minutes till all the veggies are soft and cooked through.
8. Remove from heat and allow the soup to cool a bit and then puree in batches in your blender, or use an immersion blender in the soup pot.
9. Reheat to serve and and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 135; Protein 4g; Carbohydrate 26g; Fat 3g; Fibre 5g.

Stir it well, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

 

 

Be careful if the soup is hot when you whizz it up!

 

 

Mmmmm.  Good!

 

 

Printable Recipe

 

What's your favorite homemade soup?  I am sure you have one....

Easy Curried Vegetables

I have been trying to come up with new ways to eat all of the cauliflower I have been buying! 

I like to have some on hand, in case I get a yen for pizza and need cauliflower to make a crust… or to make paleo cauliflower ‘rice’ to go with whatever stir-fried chicken and veggies or almost any othr dish I am having… Every time I see cauliflower on sale I cannot refrain from buying a head or two!

But sometimes a head of cauliflower sits in the fridge, staring me in the face when I open the door, taunting me… just daring me to use it before it starts to get little specks of brown, indicating it is losing its freshness and needs to be eaten!  Fresh cauliflower really doesn’t stay fresh for more than a few days in the refrigerator.

This Curried Vegetable dish was born of that need… I had a head of cauliflower and a butternut squash that I wanted to turn into something fabulous!  I decided that I really couldn't go wrong with a curry.

 So I washed up the cauliflower and broke it into florets, and I got The Captain to peel the butternut squash and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks… and then I combined them in a large pan with some garlic, onions, mushrooms, green bell pepper, canned tomatoes, and some spices.

It was delicous!  And it smelled wonderful while it was cooking, too.  You could use coconut oil to saute the veggies if you like, but for this dish, I chose to coat the skillet with a non-stick spray to keep the P+ count down to zero.

I do like coconut oil when cooking veg.  But once in a while I like to keep the fat content down, so that I have more leeway in the rest of my meal.  And let's face it... sometimes I would just rather spend my fat grams on almond butter during the day!

I portioned out the leftovers and froze them in individual servings.  They thaw quickly on the counter, and are still a really nice texture afterward… even heated up in the mike!

Curried Vegetables
Makes 6 servings

• 5 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 cup onions, cut into large dice or chunks
• 1 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets, about 6 cups
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks, about 1 pound
• 6 mushrooms, cut into large chunks, about 1-1/2 cups
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 large can diced tomatoes (28 oz/796 ml)
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Lightly coat a large skillet with non-stick spray and set over MEDIUM heat.
2. Add the garlic and onions and saute till translucent, about 5 or 6 minutes.
3. Add the curry powder and stir to coat the onions and garlic,
4. Add the cauliflower, squash, mushrooms, and green pepper, and canned tomatoes.
5. Stir well and bring to a light boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Vegetables should be soft but not mushy when the dish is cooked.
7. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 0.
Calories 113; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 25g; Fat 0g; Fibre 6g.

A large skillet full of veggies and spices!  Mmmmm.  Smells so good when cooking!

 

The day I made up this dish I served it with some slices of lean roasted pork loin and some green peas…

 

 

And then enjoyed some leftovers with a few Spicy Meatballs.

 

Printed Recipe

 

 

Do you like to experiment with veggies and combinations of veggies?

 

What is your favorite go-to cauliflower dish?