Cranberries for Christmas
by Stephanie Raymond

Ruby red and saucy, cranberries are the perfect festive food for those looking to eat healthy this holiday seasons.

In addition to being an antioxidant powerhouse, cranberries have been shown to help prevent urinary tract infections, tooth decay and to have anti-ageing proprieties.

What Researchers Are Saying

• According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, cranberries have been shown to contain more antioxidant phenols than 19 commonly eaten fruits. This makes them a powerful aid in preventing heart disease and certain cancers.

• Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that cranberries may be effective at preventing tooth decay. Dr. Michel Koo, an oral biologist and food scientist at the university says, “scientists believe that one of the main ways that cranberries prevent urinary tract infections is by inhibiting the adherence of pathogens on the surface of the bladder. Perhaps the same is true in the mouth, where bacteria use adhesion molecules to hold onto teeth,”

• United States Department of Agriculture scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University have found that diets containing fruit and vegetables with high ORAC values may provide protection against age-related afflictions like loss of coordination and memory. Fresh cranberries have 1750 ORAC units per 100 grams.

• Animal studies have suggested cranberries have the ability to protect brain cells from free radical damage and subsequent motor and cognitive function losses.

Cranberry Delicious!

Traditional Cranberry Sauce
(minus all the sugar)

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries
6 oz. unsweetened apple juice concentrate

Directions:
1. Put the cranberries and the apple juice in a sauce pan.
2. Cook over medium to low heat until berries burst.
3. Mix well, chill and serve. Sugar may be added if desired.

CranApple Crisp

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tbs. water
16 oz. cranberry sauce (see above recipe)
2 tbs. cornstarch
5 apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Mix together the oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.
3. Stir in the melted butter or margarine and water to form a crumbly mixture.
4. In a large saucepan, mix together the cranberry sauce and cornstarch.
5. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
6. Stir in the apples.
7. Spread apple/cranberry mixture into a glass baking dish.
8. Crumble the oat mixture over the apple/cranberry mixture.
9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
10. Serve, possibly topped with a scoop of soy-based ice cream.

Cranberry Salsa

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries
6 tbs. white sugar (or 3 oz. unsweetened apple juice concentrate)
2 tbs. brandy-based orange liqueur
1/2 cucumber (peeled, seeded and diced)
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 jalapeno pepper slices, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Place cranberries into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Transfer cranberries to a serving bowl and stir in the sugar (or apple juice), orange liqueur, cucumber, celery and jalapeno.
3. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
4. Serve with some baked nacho chips.