Whiteley Creek Homestead

It began with a cranberry orange muffin recipe in my November/December 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. The muffins turned out quite good, but it was the cranberry orange relish component in the muffins that got my attention. The naturally sweet relish is perfect for a mid-morning or afternoon snack, a brown bag lunch, and a crunchy addition atop a bed of mixed leafy greens.

A sweet apple variety, an orange, and dried cranberries provide the sweetness… no other sweetener needed.

Cranberry Orange Relish

1 cup frozen cranberries

1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped (I used 1/4 tsp ground ginger.)

1 large or 2 small oranges, peeled, segmented and chopped

1 sweet, crunchy red apple (e.g., gala, pink lady or fuji), cored and finely chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries (I used Eden Organic's apple sweetened.)

2 tbsp walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, optional

In the bowl of a food processor, blend 1/2 cup frozen cranberries, ginger, and 1/2 large or 1 small orange until coarsely chopped. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup frozen cranberries, remaining orange, and apple. Fold in processed cranberry-orange mixture, dried cranberries, walnuts, and coconut. Refrigerate. Makes 4 cups.