Cranberries!

Even after all the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, I still can't get enough of cranberries during this time of year.  Cranberries are so festive, colorful and nutrient-rich, loaded with vitamin C and tons of antioxidants and phytonutrients.  They are anti-inflammatory, help support the immune system,  protect against UTIs and many cancers, and much more. Good excuses to keep eating those cranberries all winter long :-) That being said, I would try to stay away from the canned version (too loaded with sugar and who knows what) instead use fresh cranberries whenever possible (dried are also great and really convenient).  Here are two different recipes- the first using the last of my leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving (courtesy of my mommy!) and the second using fresh cranberries in a cornbread. So yummy! And I still have some fresh cranberries left over, so more recipes to come!

1. MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

3-4 sweet potatoes

1 tblsp real butter

splash of milk

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

Directions: 

1. Wash the sweet potatoes, dice into small squares and steam in a large pot until soft (about 15-20min). 

2. Add butter and milk and mash together with a fork or potato masher.

3. Add in cranberry sauce and mix until well combined. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.

4. Serve as a side dish with your next meal and enjoy! I ate it with some sauteed kale with onions, which was such a delicious and colorful combination!

2. CRANBERRY CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 box store-bought cornbread mix (or make your own cornbread from scratch!) 

1 egg

1/3 cup almond milk (so delicious and a great dairy substitute, even in baking)

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, halved

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Follow instructions on back on box to make cornbread by adding egg and milk and mixing well.
3. Stir in cranberries and pour into a greased baking pan or muffin pan.

4. Bake about 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
5. When done, cut into squares and top with some real butter and a drizzle of local honey :-) Enjoy!