I absolutely love cranberries! In fact I bought a few too many this year, since they are in season! I created this easy cranberry salad, that is so simple, yet bursting with flavor! This is not your grandmother’s cranberry salad!
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Why is this easy cranberry salad so different? You take fresh cranberries and roast them! This makes them a touch sweeter and mixed with a little cinnamon and salt you get a super flavorful topping to your greens!
I added some sunflower seeds and celery for crunch and a basic homemade dressing! This is a perfect lunch to make ahead or a fresh, healthy side for dinner!
This is also a great recipe to use leftover cranberries from holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always add a few extra bags of berries to my cart in the fall since cranberries freeze really well.
I think this recipe is a great substitute for the sugar filled dried cranberries that are popular on salads. You have the option of using honey or go totally sugar free with liquid unflavored stevia. I have directions for both in the recipe.
Roasting Cranberries Tips
I line my baking sheets with either parchment paper or a slipmat. This makes clean up way easier and not berries stuck to the sheet pan.
Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet, cranberries will roll all over the place.
Try different flavor combinations when roasting. Pumpkin pie spice would be delicious!
Easy Cranberry Salad in Summery:
Roast the cranberries ahead or in bulk to save time!
The roasted cranberries are a great addition to oatmeal, or even cookies!
Use a simple dressing so the cranberry flavor can shine through!
Take the slightly tart flavor of cranberries to the next level by roasting them! Turn a boring salad into a show stopper!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Ingredients
6 cups spinach
4 cups lettuce
4 cups cranberries
Adrizzle of olive oil
2 tbs honey ( optional, but it will be more tart)
OR 5-10 drops stevia
1 tsp smoked or regular salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup sunflower seeds - either raw or roasted salted your preferance
1 cup chopped celery
Dressing:
2 tablespoons herb flavored olive oil ( sub in regular and add a pinch of Italian seasoning)
1/2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tbs vinegar- apple cider or red wine work well
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees
On a parchment lined baking sheet- spread out the cranberries in one layer
Give the berries a light drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and cinnamon, and finally the honey.
If using stevia instead of honey, measure the olive oil into another dish you can pour from and mix the stevia into the olive oil so it is evenly distributed.
Shake the roasting pan a bit to get the ingredients all over the cranberries.
Roast at 400 degrees about 20 minutes.
Add the spinach, lettuce, celery, sunflower seeds and roasted cranberries to your salad bowl.
In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon, vinegar and salt, whisk together and drizzle on the salad.
Serve! If you want to keep leftovers, do not dress the salad as once dressed it won't keep!
Notes
You can use any combination of lettuce and greens you like!
If you wanted to make extra cranberries, they go very well in oatmeal!
You could change out the olive oil to melted coconut oil, or avocado oil. if you prefer for the cranberries.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this easy cranberry salad recipe!
Cheers,
Heather
P.S. if you are looking for another favorite way to cook with cranberries try my Spiced Apple and Pumpkin One Pan Dinner
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We are cranberry farmers and I’ve used cranberries in just about every way conceivable, except roasting. What a great idea. I can’t wait to try this for Christmas dinner this year.
For most people, it's quite difficult to tell lingonberries and cranberries apart. Not only do the berries look similar to the untrained eye, but they also share a tart flavour. Adding to the confusion, the evergreen shrubs that the berries come from look very much alike—both belong to the heath family.
For most people, it's quite difficult to tell lingonberries and cranberries apart. Not only do the berries look similar to the untrained eye, but they also share a tart flavour. Adding to the confusion, the evergreen shrubs that the berries come from look very much alike—both belong to the heath family.
One possibility is that you may not have used enough sugar: Sugar helps the sauce firm up, so be sure to use the full amount called for in a recipe. Another possibility is that the cranberries need to boil for longer, releasing their pectin and ensuring a jelly consistency.
Raw, unsweetened American cranberries contain mainly 87% water and 12% carbohydrates, with lesser amounts of protein, fats and fiber (Table 1) [11]. Small cranberries accrue 2.1–4.9% titrable acidity with citric acid contributing 1.8–2.6%.
Cranberries can actually be found from the Polar Regions to the tropics, in both hemispheres. Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.
By the 1860s, cranberry sauce was so ingrained as an American dish, that General Ulysses S.Grant reportedly ordered that cranberries be served to soldiers as part of their Thanksgiving meal. Whichever cranberry recipe you end up eating on Thanksgiving, it just might be the most venerable dish on your menu.
Yes, Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries work well in baked goods; however, there is a 1/4 cup (60 mL) difference in measurement. If a recipe calls for one cup of fresh cranberries you should use 3/4 cup (175 mL) of Craisins®.
We like to use fresh oranges for the juice, but store-bought orange juice works as well. Bring the cranberry sauce mixture to a boil, and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries or strawberries.
Most cranberries come from Wisconsin and Massachusetts
Just five states grow almost all of the country's supply of the tart berries: Wisconsin produces more than half of all cranberries in the United States, Massachusetts harvests another third, and New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington produce much of the rest.
In the restaurant I worked in, I also noticed that cooks seasoned every element with a pinch of salt — even the lettuce. This resulted in every bite tasting vibrant and flavorful. "Season your salad just like you would anything else," Simpson said.
Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.
Cranberries are primarily composed of carbs and fiber ( 1 ). These are mainly simple sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, and fructose ( 2 ). The rest is made up of insoluble fiber — such as pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose — which pass through your gut almost intact. Cranberries also contain soluble fiber.
Cranberries are a native North American fruit and a Thanksgiving staple for many families. Cranberries are potent sources of antioxidants, specifically from a subclass of flavonoids called proanthocyanidins, which are unique to and abundant in cranberries.
You can add them to smoothies or salads, or eat them whole. Eating raw cranberries is safe and easy, though their sharp, bitter flavor isn't for everyone. Be sure to clean and sort them thoroughly.
Cranberries provide a good source of various vitamins and antioxidants. Historically, Native Americans used cranberries as a treatment for bladder and kidney diseases, while early settlers from England used them to treat poor appetite, stomach complaints, blood disorders, and scurvy.
Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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