Cranberry-licious with a side of pumpkin…

Thanksgiving Day is upon us and I’m excited to say that I’ll be contributing more than just a delicious “dessert” this year!  Although, in our family, I have to say that dessert is one of the most important part of the meal.  Needless to say, I’ve been slaving  experimenting away in the kitchen for the last couple of days and I’m delighted to share some of the dishes that will be accompanying our Thanksgiving meal!

First up, cranberry sauce…or something like it, just a little better!  Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan (nor the rest of my family) of the ever-so-popular sauce in a can that slides it’s gel-like self out onto the serving dish.  But I love cranberries and it was inevitable that they be a part of our Thanksgiving meal.

Aren’t they beautiful?

 And then they just became a little more beautiful as they simmered and mingled with some cinnamon, ginger, mangoes, and some orange.

  And then a whole lot of cranberry-licious magic happened on the stove and we have the most amazing (according to me, myself, and I) Cranberry-Mango Spread (or sauce or chutney…whatever your little heart desires to call it!).

Oh how sweet it is!

So sweet that it didn’t take us long to polish off an entire jar in one day!  Yeah, it’s that good…just sayin’!

Cranberry-Mango Spread

(inspired by Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga)

Yields 4 small canning jars

Ingredients:

1 12oz. bag of fresh cranberries

1/2 of a peeled orange, diced

1 tsp orange zest

3/4 cup mango, diced (frozen is fine)

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar, packed

1 tsp ground ginger (more or less to taste)

1 tsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and let simmer until desired thickness is reached.  I let mine simmer for about 30-35 minutes to achieve a bit thicker of a sauce. 

I kind of want to lick it right off the computer screen!  I’ll refrain and just grab a spoon and a jar from the fridge.

It’s been awhile since I’ve made a loaf of bread and I had some bananas that were just begging to be used along with some leftover pumpkin sitting in the fridge looking all lonely-like.  So, I got to work and ended up making what I think I can honestly say to be one of my favorite quick-breads!  The bananas didn’t overpower the pumpkin in any way, the bread was moist, and I love the subtle nutty flavor from the almond meal.  Ta-Da!

Pumpkin-Banana Bread

(inspired by Sarah @ Peas and Thank You)

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup almond meal

1 chia egg (1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp warm water, stir and let soak for about 5 minutes)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

1/4 cup Earth Balance

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

sliced almonds to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare loaf pan by spraying with a light coat of cooking spray.  Set aside

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar, Earth Balance, and pumpkin.  Add the mashed bananas and chia egg.  Add vanilla and milk and stir to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined.

Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan and scatter sliced almonds on top.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool before slicing.

Have a blessed weekend my friends! 

Anything sweet cookin’ in your kitchen this weekend?

Blessings,

J’lene