Dishing It Up!

by Victoria Mattson

Victoria Mattson is a local cook, confectionaire and writer. She offers healthy and nutritious recipes and food tips in each issue of North County Outlook. Phone (360) 658-9903 or e-mail victoria@northcountyoutlook.com.

The cranberry is one of North America's native fruits. Native Americans cherished this wild berry for its versatility as a food, a healing agent and a fabric dye. As our history reports, cranberries were served alongside turkey on Thanksgiving tables in the Plymouth colony.

Still served for many Thanksgiving feasts, fresh cranberries are at their peak from October through December. Cranberries are grown locally along a stretch of western Washington known as the Cranberry Coast. About 80 cranberry bogs are concentrated around Grayland, many of which were started by Finnish immigrants in the 1870s. Today, most of Washington's growers are contracted with Ocean Spray, a cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, British Columbia and other parts of Canada.

This tart red berry is rich in phytonutrients, boasting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits. Cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of dietary fiber.

Cranberries are a very versatile ingredient. They can be used fresh on salads and chutneys, baked into breads, muffins and cookies, cooked into sauces, mixed into stuffing, or served over chicken. Once purchased, fresh berries will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. They can also be successfully frozen, which encourages stocking up on an extra bag when they are in season.

Because they are so tart, a large amount of sugar is frequently mixed with berries. The make-over recipe below replaces half the sugar with stevia powder, which is a zero-calorie natural sweetener. You could also increase the stevia to two tablespoons and eliminate the sugar altogether.

When using stevia, it is important to distribute the small amount of stevia evenly throughout the other ingredients. A good way to do this is to mix the stevia with liquid ingredients first.



FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE


1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon stevia powder

1-1/2 cups water


In a medium saucepan, stir the stevia into the water until dissolved. Add the cranberries and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until skins burst, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate. The sauce will thicken as it cools.



Contact Victoria at Victoria@northcountyoutlook.com or by phone 360-658-9903.