Cranberry Salsa

Ingredients

1 12 oz bag of fresh whole cranberries or 3 cups
1 small bunch of green onions approx. 1 cup after minced
1 small bunch cilantro approx. 1 cup after minced
2 small jalapeno peppers
1 piece of fresh ginger root approx 3” x 1 ½” diameter
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup Splenda for baking

Directions:

Rinse, drain, and pick over cranberries discarding all that are soft or bruised. Chop cranberries fine, but not mushy. While wearing gloves, remove seeds and membranes from peppers for a mild salsa. Chop jalapenos. Mince green onions and cilantro. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Mix all ingredients together and cover. For the best taste, refrigerate salsa for four hours so the flavors can combine. I’ve used the salsa as an appetizer, in the picture I placed 1 ½ Tbsp served over fat-free cottage cheese on whole grain crackers – tart and sweet, packed with protein and fiber – delicious! I’ve also used the salsa in place of sugary cranberry sauce over roasted turkey, with home baked white corn tortilla chips, and in turkey tacos.
Makes approx. 4 cups of salsa. Serving size 2 Tbsp.

* Notes: For more of a holiday flavor, you can double the ginger without affecting the calorie count significantly. When I’m out of gloves, I use a plastic baggie to remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno peppers. The important thing is to keep the oils from contacting your skin. If you get some on your hands, place a napkin soaked in milk on the burning area. Sounds funny, but it works. Also, for a spicier salsa, I’ll leave a little more membrane and some seeds. I mince my onions and cilantro by hand and not in my food processor so as to keep them from being cut too small. When pinched for time, I have used my food processor, but the nice green leafy and red look is lost however the taste is not affected. If you do not prefer to use artificial sweeteners, you can use ½ cup regular granulated sugar. Realize this almost doubles the caloric count per serving and will make the salsa more syrupy.