Healthy Cran-apple Sauce and Utilizing the leftovers: Saucy Scones with Ginger and Pecan

Afternoon light

Settling the table:  a pan of veggies and beans, Andrew's sage and onion biscuits, my cranberry sauce, and a hummus & carrot platter

My first plate of the dinner -- clockwise, local winter squash with lentil medley, homemade tomato hummus, eggplant, cauliflower and garbanzo bean salad, carrots, & cranberry sauce!

I'm not going to lie:  I was once a huge fan of canned cranberry sauce.  In fact, it was what I looked forward to the most at the Thanksgiving table.  So much so that my family often had to ask me to make sure I saved some for other people.  Soon, my sister got in on the cranberry sauce love, and who ever was hosting the meal would know that they would have to buy extra so that we could get our fill.

Then, I started to read labels.  It was then that I realized why most people only had a spoonful or two of the fruit sauce -- it was full of sugar.  Sometimes, even corn syrup.  I don't mind a little sugar during the holidays, but I could eat half a can of cranberry sauce in one sitting.  I didn't want to limit myself. That's when I decided that rather than forgo my favorite Thanksgiving side dish all together, I was going to make my own.

My sister and I enjoyed this version, along with everyone else, knowing it was lower in sugar so we could eat more and not feel like we had already eaten dessert.  Even my dad and the in-laws liked it, which I took as a good sign.

While I know many of you already have made your cranberry sauce, or have a couple of cans lurking around, I'm including my version of cranberry sauce.  After all, it can be enjoyed any time of year.  Beware:  this recipe makes a LOT.  You'll have plenty of leftovers to eat later, or perhaps, to put in the following saucy scone recipe.

Homemade Cranberry-Apple Sauce with Ginger

•  2 12 oz. bags of cranberries (I was lucky enough to find a local source!)
• 1 whole apple, diced into small pieces
• 8 pieces crystallized ginger, diced
• 5 teaspoons stevia
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar, to add at the end in case things are too tart

In a large saucepan, place all of the ingredients except for the sugar on medium heat and cover.  After about 15 minutes, the cranberries should start popping and the water should be reducing down into a lovely syrup.  You might want to mash things up a bit with a slotted spoon or potato masher, or you may want to have more of a whole-berry sauce.  I aim for a happy medium.  I ended up adding 1/8 cup of sugar to the whole batch.  Instead of extra sugar, you can use extra stevia, honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar.  Even orange or apple juice would work.  I left my burner on medium for a total of 20 minutes, and then turned off the stove and let the sauce pan utilize its own heat until everything had cooled off.  Yields 6 cups cranberry sauce.

playing around with a recipe and pretty pink dough!

 

 

I was happy to see that I had a couple of cups of the sauce left over after dinner.  For the next couple of days, I toyed with different recipes for using the sauce.  A swirl bread?  A cookie?  Pancakes?  While I'm sure any of these would have been good, I settled on a saucy scone.  Packed with ginger and pecans, this scone has a lovely rosy hue and makes the perfect breakfast accompaniment or mid-day snack.

 Saucy Scones with Ginger and Pecans

• 1 and 3/4 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 3/4 cup gluten free oats
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon stevia or sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 cup pecans, loosely chopped
• 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, diced
• 1 cup of milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 cup cranberry sauce (homemade or not, but whole berry might work best)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet.  In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Mix well.  Combine the milk, cranberry sauce, and vanilla extract until  just blended.  Using an ice cream scoop, place the dough onto the baking sheet.  Flatten out the scones a bit with your fingers to give things a more scone-like shape.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops have formed a lovely crust.  Serve plain, dunk in your morning coffee, or smear with extra cranberry sauce.  Yields 12 scones.

How are you using your left overs this weekend?