Looking for that perfect Thanksgiving side dish?  Look no further.  At our family gatherings we host the full gamut of foodies; omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, rawists, and this dish appeal to all of them.  This quick and easy cranberry salad is a great addition to your Thanksgiving table.  It can also be served as your Thanksgiving breakfast, just sprinkle with granola.  It’s a great replacement for canned cranberry sauce (and a lot tastier).  Put it out with cinnamon chips or graham crackers as a healthy pre-feast snack.

Cranberries are packed full of antioxidants and are great for urinary tract health, preventing plaque formation on teeth and can kill bacteria that lead to stomach and ulcer cancer.  This salad features cranberries in their raw, full-impact form and makes it really easy to enjoy these tart little gems.

Monica’s Cranberry Salad

• 1 bag fresh cranberries
• 2 oranges
• 2 apples
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup agave nectar (honey or sugar can be substituted)

Finely chop the cranberries, oranges and apples, combine in a bowl.  Add the orange zest.  The cranberries can be pulsed in a food processor.  Be sure to keep them chunky, don’t puree them.  Add the orange zest and agave nectar.  Only add about 1/4 cup of agave, mix and let the mixture sit for thirty minutes or more.  After the juices meld together, you can decide if you want to add more.  Let the mixture chill for a full hour before serving.

Variation:  add about 1/2 cup of finely diced fresh pineapple.

Special thanks to my sister Monica who came up with this recipe, which is now part of our traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Enjoy the tasty journey, Suzanne.

(This blog was originally posted on lotushouseofyoga.wordpress.com.)