SIFAKA BLOG

Hi everyone! I’ve been working on my grocery list for the big holiday meal (in our house it’s Christmas, but we have friends who celebrate all different ways) and it’s got me wondering what kinds of things are part of your traditional holiday menus. Every family has something they look forward to having every year—something they wouldn’t throw together for any old meal.

Some of my family’s traditional holiday foods are really healthy, like our Cranberry Relish (recipe below), and others are…well…not quite so healthy, like our annual Christmas Snort.

That’s a strange name for a holiday dish, isn’t it? Well it got that name in a funny sort of way, in part because although it is delicious, it’s not particularly healthy. It all happened because in an email to someone, I wrote the name of the dish and a quick description and then “*snort*” next to it so the person I was writing to would know that I knew how unhealthy it was. Instead, she thought the name of our annual Christmas Sausage Bread was Snort! My kids and I thought that was so funny we decided to officially change the name to Snort, and every time someone says “Christmas Snort” it makes us all laugh. The sausage bread isn’t so healthy, but laughing sure is!

Here’s something quick, easy, and super healthy for your holiday table, and it is MUCH better than the jellied cranberry sauce we’re all used to having from the can.

Crazy Cranberry Relish

The flavors in this dish are bright, clean, and extremely fresh. Kids tend to like this relish over a chutney, for example, because there are no added spices and it’s not cooked—all the wonderful flavors of each fruit remain intact. It’s also quite colorful, which is appealing on a plate full of otherwise brownish foods.

1 granny smith apple, cored

½ a fresh pineapple (or 1 can of pineapple)

1 navel orange, peeled

1 bag of fresh cranberries, washed and picked over

1.Get a grown up to help you with this recipe.

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, combine the apple (leaving the skin on is fine), pineapple, and orange. Process until it looks like apple sauce. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

3. Pour all of the cranberries into the food processor and pulse until the cranberries are finely chopped, but aren’t mushy.

4. Combine the cranberries with the apple/pineapple/orange mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve cold.

*Note: If the relish is too tart you can add some pineapple or orange juice or a small amount of sugar, but I prefer it without added sugar.