Fresh Cranberry Relish

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was fabulous, and it was so great to spend time relaxing with my family. It is definitely just what I needed and I am feeling refreshed and ready (as I'll ever be...) to get back to the grind.

I really love everything, I mean everything, about Thanksgiving dinner, but I have a few things that are my absolute faves. The first is stuffing (preferably cooked in the turkey because it is so much more flavorful that way) and the second is my mom's fresh cranberry relish. There is no congealed can shaped blob of cranberry at our Thanksgiving table. If that's your thing go for it, but this relish is the ultimate deliciousness. It is so fresh and is the perfect balance of tart and sweet.

Mmm doesn't it look glorious! This recipe is suuuuper easy to make:

Use a blender or food processor to grind 1 bag of fresh uncooked cranberries--make it as chunky as you like
Put the ground cranberries into a bowl and add the zest and juice of 1 orange
Add 1 cup or sugar--more or less to taste
Mix well, refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to mix, and enjoy!

Using raw cranberries not only gives the fresh crisp taste, but raw cranberries retain more antioxidants than cooked cranberries (source). Did you know that cranberries are a superfood? They contain Vitamin C and fiber and have more antioxidents than most fruits and vegetables, including the well known super foods strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries,  and cherries (source). Some of the health benefits cranberries are thought to provide are: possible protection from heart disease and cancer, decrease in production of cavity and plaque producing bacteria in your mouth, reduction in bacteria associated with stomach ulcers, and healthy urinary tract (source). I am not a doctor so make sure you discuss any health concerns or preventative measures with your doctor, but it seems to me that Mama's Fresh Cranberry Relish is something you can feel pretty good about having on your Thanksgiving table. Fresh cranberries are still in season, so you can enjoy this treat even now that Thanksgiving is over. Be aware that while you still get the health benefits of the cranberries the more sugar you add the less healthy the dish becomes.

Have you had fresh cranberry relish, or do you prefer cooked or canned? What other Thanksgiving treats did you enjoy over the holiday?