Orange Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means meal planning for the big day is in full effect! Growing up, I was never a cranberry sauce person and would not touch it for the life of me during Thanksgiving. I was never able to wrap my head around why people would eat cranberry sauce with their Thanksgiving meal. I was definitely team “no cranberry sauce” for a LOOOOOOOOOONG time.

The cranberry sauce that we would purchase was the one that came from a can. You know, the one that tastes more like sugar and less like cranberry sauce? Yeah, that one. It wasn’t until I started making my own cranberry sauce that I finally enjoyed eating cranberry sauce with my Thanksgiving meal! I’m pretty sure this was like maybe two years ago that I started doing that. I love making homemade cranberry sauce because you can control the amount of sugar in it. Plus, it tastes SO MUCH BETTER and definitely fresher than the canned stuff! I started making it for my family and I and they enjoyed it just as much as I do, so of course this year I will be making it again!

You only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe and it can totally be made in advance because we all know the big day gets so busy with a lot of things going on in the kitchen! Just fresh or frozen cranberries, oranges, maple syrup, and sea salt. I love the brightness that the orange juice and zest add to this recipe! This cranberry sauce is a great balance between tart and sweet! Like all recipes, you can adjust to your tastebuds. If you want it less sweet, add less sweetener. If you want it sweeter, add more.

Paleo

Ingredients:

• juice from 2 medium oranges
• 1 12 oz. bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• pinch of sea salt
• zest from 1 orange (zest an orange before squeezing the oranges)

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized pot over medium-low heat.
2. Add all ingredients, except the orange zest, to the pot.
3. Stir occasionally so that the cranberry sauce doesn’t burn.
4. Use a wooden spoon to smash the cranberries and let the cranberry sauce thicken.
5. Once thickened and ready, remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest.
6. Let the cranberry sauce cool and store in your favorite jar or container in the fridge!

Enjoy!