Cranberry-Coconut Relish

Since we’re closing in on the New Year, I’ve been looking at my stats and analytics that have come through my blog all year.

I’m happy to say I DOUBLED visitors and views over last year! I still have a long road to go to get my little niche of the internet where I want it to be, but so far—my blogging has done exactly what I have intended it to do. I have a nice outlet to create and post recipes that are new or beloved to me. It’s a relaxing thing for me to do when I get home from work.

Which doesn’t make any sense if you think about it: I write for 8 hours at work, then come home and write some more.

I’ve enjoyed the past 5 (!!!) years of sharing recipes with y’all. This year my most popular recipe is one I posted a few years ago: Piccadilly Macaroni & Cheese. It continues to be a hit. I’m not sure why it is so popular, but I have fond memories of that mac & cheese and I guess a lot of other people do, too.

My most popular recipe that I actually posted this year is Mexican Street Corn Style Grilled Zucchini. That was a good one–albeit a very summery recipe.

My family and I actually had our Christmas dinner on the 26th. My mom and I spent the entire day cooking. Turkey, giblet gravy, squash and cornbread dressing, potatoes, and buttermilk pie later—and we were stuffed. I wanted to have a cranberry sauce with my turkey (that’s my favorite way to eat turkey) so I made my own spin on a version I found in last month’s Food Network magazine.

Here’s a few things that I changed from the original recipe:

• Texture: the OG called for RAW cranberries to be blended with sugar and coconut. There was never any cooking to the relish at all! If you’ve tasted raw cranberries you’ll know—they are extremely tart. Even with sugar mixed in it would have been a crunchy, tart disaster.
• Peppers: it’s almost impossible to find anything other than jalapeno and serrano peppers in Oklahoma OR Montana this time of year, so we subbed out the Fresno for a jalapeno. I’ve also NEVER seen a Fresno chile pepper in my life, have you?
• No mint here: fresh mint is a springtime herb. You can’t get it up here right now. Even if you could, I probably would have left it out, too. I’m very picky with my mint.

This relish would be good to make for any leftover turkey sandwiches you have. I made a slider yesterday with turkey, a leftover roll, and this relish and it was delicious.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Coconut Relish

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 20 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A spicy & zesty cranberry sauce perfect for holiday parties and gatherings.

Ingredients

• 12 oz. fresh cranberries
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• Zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
• 1 jalapeno, diced

Directions

1. Place cranberries and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat over mediun heat until cranberries start to pop and water simmers slightly. Cook down for 5 minutes until cranberries are softened. Add coconut sugar, stir, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Cranberry sauce should be thick and soft.
2. Remove pan from heat and stir in lime juice and zest, shredded coconut, and jalapeno. Let cool or keep refrigerated until serving.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Place cranberries and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Heat over mediun heat until cranberries start to pop and water simmers slightly. Cook down for 5 minutes until cranberries are softened.

Add coconut sugar, stir, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Cranberry sauce should be thick and soft.

Remove pan from heat and stir in lime juice and zest, shredded coconut, and jalapeno. Let cool or keep refrigerated until serving.