Hold the phone! This recipe is so easy that it’s actually not too late to add it to your holiday list! And let me give you a little tip if you are expecting vegetarians to dinner this week. Make this and some plain quinoa (BE SURE to wash it first. Here’s why.), and add a green salad and a dish of toasted almond slivers to the table. (That sounds really good, doesn’t it? Ask about nut allergies, of course, and if you are using a bottled dressing, check the ingredients for things like anchovy paste. Yes, really, they like to sneak that one in there.) When you look forward to hosting a big meal, part of what makes all the effort feel worth it is knowing that everyone is looking forward to eating. If you also make traditional favorites like sweet potatoes, squash, or (vegetarian) dressing, these additions will round out the meal for the veg folk and make sure everyone feels that excitement when they sit down at the table.
NOTE: To be absolutely certain that your veg friends and family can eat something, you want to make it vegan. That means, no animal products at all. If they eat eggs or dairy products they will have no trouble adding those foods, but a great deal of difficulty removing them if they don’t. If you are worried about the salad dressing, offering oil and vinegar and letting each diner dress their own is a safe bet.
I found the original recipe at Bon Apetit and adapted it for the slow cooker. (There are some other really good cranberry recipes in that article! You should check it out. Om nom nom…) Please note that this does cook down by about 50%, so if you’re making it for guests, you may want to double or even triple it. A triple recipe will still fit in a “regular” size slow cooker. If you cook these too long, the sugar WILL scorch, so if you increase the recipe watch your cook time.
Crockpot Cranberries (and tips for pleasing a veg*an at Thanksgiving!)
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
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Wash the cranberries and pick out any damaged or spoiled berries. Drain them and put them in a mini-crock.
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Add sugar, oil, and thyme (just pinch the leaves off the stems with your fingers) and mix well.
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Cook on high for 1 hour, or low 2-3 hours.
Recipe Notes
I am really going to miss my fresh herbs when the last of my garden is gone this year! If you don't have fresh, you can use 1/3 the measure of dried herbs. (In this case, 1 teaspoon.) If you are expecting a Vegan, use turbinado sugar or another unbleached, cane sugar. You can find them in the baking section next to the kind you're used to!And if you are looking for an entertaining* holiday read, may I recommend the Famous Black Turkey Recipe of Morton Thompson? It so happens that the bird itself (which I have made many times, to much delight) is delicious, but so is the recipe. *The dish is not vegan in the slightest. In case the word “turkey” didn’t clear that up for you… 😉
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