As we mentioned in our Halloween blog, we’re not too concerned with a few over-indulgent holidays each year. If you’re staying healthy during the rest of the year, there’s no reason to fear the Thanksgiving buffet. But if you’re looking for a healthier twist on a classic, you can’t do much better than this recipe, adapted from class facilitator, Paula Simpson.

This recipe definitely has less sugar than the canned version, and it also has less than most other recipes I have seen. The recipe that comes on the bag of cranberries usually has a full cup of sugar, so I was worried that this wouldn’t be sweet enough to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.

The key to making this recipe healthier, but still delicious is recognizing the role of the sugar and finding ways for other ingredients to fill that role. The sugar makes it taste good, so we add orange zest, orange juice, ginger, and allspice to add lots of great flavor. The sugar also helps the sauce thicken, so a few teaspoons of flour can make sure the sauce still gets to the right consistency.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Ingredients

1¼ cups water

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 (12-oz.) bag fresh or frozen cranberries

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons orange zest (from one medium orange)

¼ cup orange juice (juice of one medium orange)

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon allspice

Instructions

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the water with the flour.

In a medium saucepan, mix all the ingredients together with the water and flour mixture.

Cook over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally during the cooking process.