Spiced Cranberry Sauce

In their whole food form, cranberries are incredibly good for your health, but because of their tartness, they are often loaded with added sugars, which takes away from their nutritional goodness. This time of year, I love to make a fresh cranberry sauce using cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and orange, lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It is a sugar free cranberry sauce that has lots of flavor. 

We are actually at the end of cranberry harvest right now, but this is the season when they are most prominently eaten. These tart little berries are native to North America and grown mainly in the Northeast region of the United States. In the fall, the fields are flooded so that the cranberries can float to the top for easy picking. 

The phytonutrients in cranberry are effective in lowering inflammation throughout our bodies and is particularly known for reducing the risk of periodontal disease, provides excellent benefits for our digestive tract, including reduced risk of stomach ulcers and colon cancer. Most popularly, cranberries are known for reducing risk and symptoms of urinary tract infection. 

Spiced Cranberry SauceIngredients
1/2 pound fresh cranberries, washed and dried
¼ cup to ½ cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons water
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 small orange, zested and juiced

Directions
1. In a medium pot, combine the cranberries, maple syrup and water. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the cinnamon stick, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. 

2. Stir again and simmer for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Some of the cranberries will burst and some will remain whole. 

3. Add the orange juice and zest, stir and allow to cool before serving.

Yields about 1 ¼ Cup