One of the two essential parts of any Christmas dinner are the gravy and the cranberry sauce. BUT they don’t have to be laden with additives, salt and refined sugar!
Follow my foolproof plans for a tasty and healthy gravy and refined sugar free cranberry sauce here.
B-Fit Cranberry Sauce
- 2 bags of fresh cranberries
- 180ml fresh pineapple juice freshly squeezed orange juice (I recommend pineapple!)
- 180ml of applesauce (no sugar or artificial sweetener added)
- 100ml of water
- juice and zest of one orange
- 1-3 tablespoons of honey or Coconut sugar to taste (optional)
- Put cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in a sauce pan and and bring to a boil.
- Keep on medium heat, stirring constantly until the cranberries start to explode (about 10-15 minutes).
- Reduce to a simmer and pour the juice and zest over the cranberry mixture.
- Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat.
- Cool completely and store in fridge at least four hours but preferably overnight before serving.
- NOTE: This is not as sweet as store versions! Taste at the end of cooking. It is naturally sweet from the fruit juice and applesauce but you can add more honey or a bit of coconut sugar to taste if needed.
B-Fit Gravy
To me, gravy is all about moisture. It doesn’t have to be laden with saturated fat and sodium, my gravy is always more of a jus that provides a delicate bit of moisture and allows the flavours of the food to not be overpowered.
Homemade Gravy
Juice from steamed veggies
Juice from turkey
Rosemary, parsley, sage and thyme ( teaspoon of each or more if like me, you love your herbs )
Pink salt
Black pepper
Collect all of the above, except for the salt and pepper, in a separate jug/gravy boat at different stages of cooking. Add the herbs in at the start to really infuse.
When the rest of the Christmas dinner is almost ready to serve, pour into a pan and gently simmer for 5-8 minutes until warm. Stir continually and add pink salt and pepper to taste.
