Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce

When I was growing up, my dad and I were the only ones in our family that liked cranberry sauce…and I’m talking the congealed tube right from the can with the little can-ridges embedded into it.  I always thought it was so cool that my mom sliced it up and we ended up with these perfect little discs that would slide all over my plate and mix with all of my other yummy Thanksgiving goodies.  I know – some people are not fans of foods touching, but that is not me…if I can get a perfect bite of my plate’s deliciousness onto one forkful – ohhh…don’t even get me started…simply heaven.

Where was I?  Oh, yes!  Cranberry sauce!

I adapted this recipe from Wellness Mama, but honestly, I had to make a second batch because it was way too tart for my taste.  Her recipe calls for NO sugar, and for those of you who are trying to cut it out altogether, check it out.  I, on the other hand, just wanted to lighten it up so I added light brown sugar for a little bit of sweetness.

Let’s talk a little bit about how much sugar there is in that fun little can of cranberry gelatinous goodness, shall we?  There are 21 grams of sugar in a ¼ cup serving and 110 calories.  By cutting down the sugar, we cut out approximately 7 grams of sugar and 31 calories/serving.

I love making my own cranberry sauce, but a lot of the recipes I used in the past called for a cup or more of sugar.  This cuts it down a bit and you still get that tarty sweetness.  I also like the chunky pieces of cranberries that are still in there, too.

Feel free to throw this together a few days before your company arrives – saves you some time and gives the flavors extra time to co-mingle and become one with their bad selves.

Let’s get to it.

Ingredients:

·         2 – 12oz bags of fresh cranberries

·         3/4 cup pineapple juice

·         ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

·         ½ cup water

·         ½ cup orange juice

·         Zest of one small orange – zest can be very bitter so you may even want to use only a few bits

·         ½ cup light brown sugar

Preparation:

1.    Place cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in to a large saucepan over medium heat and stir together.

2.    Bring berries to a boil and stir continuously until most of the cranberries have popped (they sound so cute when they are popping!)

3.    Reduce heat to low, add orange juice and zest and simmer for about 7 more minutes.

4.    Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

5.    Pour the sauce into your serving dish and then bring to room temperature.

6.    Place in the refrigerator to cool; at least 4 hours, but overnight or even a few days before serving is better.

Nutrition:

Serves 12

Calories 79 / Carbs 19g / Fat 0g / Protein 0g / Fiber 2g / Sodium 0mg