As a point of reference for your holiday feasting, on the day of Thanksgiving, the average American consumes between 2,400 to 4,000 calories, according to Marlisa Brown, registered dietician and president of Total Wellness, a nutritional consulting company based in Long Island. Compare that to the USDA's recommended daily calorie requirements of 1,600 to 2,400 for women and 2,000 to 3,000 for men, and you're sure to want to find a way to reduce the calories in your holiday feast.
Reduce Sugar, Save Taste
A great place to start reducing sugar is in your sugar loaded cranberry sauce. To be sure, many cranberry sauce recipes have as much as 2-3 cups of sugar, which packs a hefty punch of 1584-2322 calories. Luckily, sugar is easy to replace in a variety of ways without sacrificing full flavor. The easiest and most healthful way is by simply halving the sugar amount; you'll be surprised that nobody will notice.
Also, you can use an FDA approved sweetener, like Splenda, as a sweet supplement to a reduced sugar recipe if you're not sure the dish is quite sweet enough. If processed sugar is what you're trying to avoid, try substituting 100% fruit juice for granulated sugar. Ultimately, a dish will taste just as delicious with a smaller measure of sugar, especially if flavorful spices are added to invigorate natural flavorings and sweetness. Try applying any of these suggestions to this flavorful and easy low-sugar cranberry sauce recipe.
Low-Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Serves 12 (to adjust serving size calculate a RCF)
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
- 1 cup fresh water
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 medium orange, peeled
- 1 medium apple, preferably Fuji - peeled, cored and diced
- 1 small pear - peeled, cored and diced
- ½ cup chopped dried apricots
- ½ cup chopped dried cherries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
Method
- Scale and prepare ingredients.
- Place cranberries in colander. Rinse with cool water and pick through to remove any bad berries or stems.
- Boil fresh water and sugar in medium heavy-bottomed pot, making sure to stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Add clean cranberries. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer cranberries while you prepare the fruit flavorings.
- Place orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, nuts in food processor and pulse until a smooth paste develops.
- After cranberries have simmered for 15 minutes, add the fruit mixture and remaining spice ingredients. Simmer for at least 30 more minutes, or longer for greater flavor development.
