Welp, my daughter and grandbaby have been here about 4 days now and I’m LOVING it! The house is a mess and our schedules are out of whack …but I would have it any other way! I am thoroughly enjoying my chats with my daughter with coffee each morning (face to face and not via text!) and absolutely love hearing the pitter pat of Mazzy’s feet running around as well as her sweet voice filling up our home!
So – I don’t know about you but I have never been a fan of cranberries or the sauce. It wasn’t until about 4 or 5 years ago when I made a paleo version of Guy Fieri’s Spicy Cranberries did I develop a palate for these little bitter berries.
I worked at a grocery store for many years and year after year, those cans of cranberries came through the conveyer belt with everyone’s Thanksgiving grocery haul. I would even ask customers if they used it in recipes or just served as-is and 9x out of 10, they replied, “Oh ….we don’t eat them, the just look pretty in a dish on the table” or something along those lines. And it held true for my family and in-laws as well — I believe my mom and my husbands mom were the only ones who actually ate the canned cranberries BUT they always had it on the table because it was tradition and gave the table color.
I now get the color aspect because it really does round off the Thanksgiving spread! I don’t however, like canned cranberries. I found the love for fresh cranberries and they really are super simple to make. My Spicy Cranberry Sauce has become a Thanksgiving fave by all. If you like a sweet’n’spicy combo, you will love the recipe I have on my blog (you can find it here). That recipe will definitely be going down this Thanksgiving too but I will also be sharing this Cranberry Dip to munch on while the family chats and gets the dinner coming together.
I feel like it’s more of a dip because it’s very dip-able. Haha! Well, it is ….and easy to scoop out with your favorite dipper. We munched on this dip with Jillz Paleo Crackerz and Siete Foods grain free chips and omg, sooo good! I think I’ll be toting this over to our Thanksgiving potluck with a block of cream cheese and serve the cranberry dip on top of the cream cheese.
This is a perfect make ahead appetizer as it really needs the time to let the sweetness of the honey, meld with the tart cranberry. I personally liked having a few whole berries stay in tact but my husband preferred having all the berries mashed up well. That is obviously up to you and your taste preference. Either way, this dip is a festive addition to your snack table for the upcoming feasts that go on this time of year! As always, make it your own by adding more spice or more sweetness — it’s always fun to add your own personal touch. Enjoy!
- 1 12oz package cranberries
- 1/2 jalapeño, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped serrano chili (add more to desired spiciness)
- 1/4 cup diced green onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- Place cranberries in a pot and add water to cover. Bring the cranberries to a boil ...and taking off heat once you start to hear the popping.
- While cranberries are on the stove, dice/chop the veggies etc.
- Using a potato masher, slightly mash down cranberries (leaving whole berries will give you a crunchier bite but it will also be more bitter ...so it’s your call as to how much you mash the berries - I personally leave a handful of whole berries because I like the the crunch and sweet-tart combo). Add 3 tbsp’s of honey. Stir in. Let this come to room temp before adding in the rest of ingredients.
- Transfer berries to a bowl. Stir in chili’s, green onion and cilantro. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir to combine. Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours to let the flavors meld and he honey do it’s thing with the bitterness of the cranberries.
- Serve with your favorite dipping food. You can even top off a block of cream cheese! Or add to potatoes, turkey or biscuits!
- This is a great make ahead appetizer! Give it at least a couple of hours before serving but my personal preference is letting it sit in fridge over night.
