Christmas Food: Raw Cranberry Relish

Image from: “Fat Free Vegan Kitchen” fatfreevegan.com

A lot of holiday foods just can not be made healthy. I usually seem intent on making them less healthy – cream cheese in your potatoes or bacon in your vegetables, anyone? But a friend made this recipe for me at work last week and I loved it. It’s refreshing and unabashedly good for you. More importantly, it’s the kind of food that makes it seem ok to put more stuffing on your plate. And after Christmas, I plan to eat it for dessert when I’m desperately trying to shed those holidays pounds.

Raw Cranberry Relish (adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen)
1 cup fresh cranberries
zest of 1 orange
1  orange, peeled and sectioned
1 apple, quartered
5 pitted dates
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Place all ingredients in good blender or food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped – you want it to have some texture and not be mush. Eat immediately or refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend.