Fresh, Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner! If you are anything like me you try to make a few things ahead and slide them into the freezer. This is such a simple recipe to make. No cooking required! It’s quick and so fresh tasting even after it’s frozen. My sister in law Jeannette gave me this recipe years ago during a telephone conversation.
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Jeannette gave me no measurements – just the ingredients which I adjusted to make them fit my Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. She actually uses an old fashion food grinder to grind hers. For years I used my Cuisinart food processor to make mine until I was blessed with a Vitamix.
Simple Ingredients
You only need three ingredients for this cranberry orange relish, two (2) – 12 ounce bags of fresh cranberries, one large to medium organic navel orange and THM Pure Stevia Extract or Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet or another on plan sweetener of your choice.
You will need 4 cups of cranberries for this recipe and the 2 bags will yield about 5 to 5 1/2 cups. You can freeze the remaining cranberries or refrigerate to use in another recipe. They are great with an apple and steel cut oats made in the Instant Pot. 
Tools Needed
Just some simple tools are needed. You will need a microplane to zest your orange, a sharp kitchen knife, measuring spoons and either a food processor or a Vitamix, and a 4 cup glass storage container with a cover. No pots, no pans!
Instructions
Wash and dry your orange. I like to zest my orange directly into my Vitamix container. Zest as much as you can without getting into the pith of the orange.
Once you have zested your orange, peel away the remaining rind and pith. Break into four or five sections. I like to cut my orange sections in half to make sure there are no seeds because blending the seeds can make your relish bitter.
Next step – toss your orange sections in the container on top of the zest. Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of pure stevia extract or or 2 1/2 -3 tablespoons of THM Super Sweet to the container and then top with 4 cups of your washed and drained cranberries.
Cranberry Orange Relish Vitamix Technique
Put the cover on your container, place your container on the base, remove the plug and add your tamper. Never, never use your tamper without the cover. There are two things that I absolutely love about my Vitamix 7500. First is the pulse button and second is the wide bottom container. They are just perfect for food processing techniques.
Turn the machine on. For this recipe I set my variable to 6 or 7. Then hit pulse and release. I do use the tamper to move my cranberries towards the blades. Pulse 7 to 10 times. If you are new to this technique you may need a few more pulses. Your relish is done when it looks like the picture below. I think of it as the 4 mounds you get when making frozen treats like those delicious fruit sorbets we can make in a Vitamix.
Cranberry Orange Relish Food Processor Technique
I made this relish for years in my Cuisinart 11 cup food processor. Follow the basic directions above except place your ingredients into the food processing bowl. You can run the machine for a few seconds or use the pulsing button. Be sure to scrape down the sides and process until you get a nice chopped consistency.
I like to put my finished relish in a large 4 cup glass container that has a cover. My favorites are the Pyrex Simply Store 6-Piece Round Glass Food Storage Set. The seals are very durable and I can use them in my Instant Pot too! I love things that can be dual duty, plus food keeps best refrigerated in glass. Also, it’s easier to get all of your relish out of the blender container when you use a wider glass container. If you are making this a couple of weeks in advance you can freeze your relish in freezer safe wide mouth Ball canning/freezer jars. I like to use the wide mouth pint size jars for this recipe and you can either use the steel lids and bands or the Ball Wide Mouth Plastic Storage Caps.
THM FP Option
If you would like to change this recipe to a fuel pull (FP) swap out your orange with 1 1/2 cups of frozen red raspberries. I still use the orange zest for flavor but be sure to adjust for sweetness since raspberries will have less natural sweetness than an orange. If you prefer you can use lemon zest and the juice of 1/2 lemon.
- Serves: 12
- Calories: 33
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Sodium: 1mg
- Fiber: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- 24 ounces fresh cranberries ((2 - 12-ounce bags))
- 1 whole orange (navel)
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon THM Pure Stevia Extract or 2½ to 3 tablespoons THM Super Sweet
- Wash and drain your cranberries. Measure out 4 cups to use in this recipe
- Wash and dry your organic navel orange. Zest the rind directly into your Vitamix or food processor container being careful not to zest the pith.
- Peel the remaining rind and pitch from your orange and break into sections. Cut the sections in half checking for seeds. Remove any seeds and toss into your blender container or food processing bowl.
- Add the stevia extract or THM Super Sweet or your on plan sweetener of choice to the container.
- Pour the 4 cups of fresh cranberries on top of your orange pieces and sweetener.
- Place the cover on your blender or food processor and set on it's base. If using the Vitamix remove the plug and insert the tamper.
- Turn on your blender. Set or turn the variable speed dial to 6 or 7 on your Vitamix.
- Using the pulse button pulse several times, use the tamper in-between pulses to push the cranberries towards the blades. This may take 8-10 pulses depending on your proficiency for this technique.
- Once you see mounds forming your relish is done. Pour into a 4 cup glass container for storage.
Our family recipe is similar. It uses one bag of cranberries to 1 orange and up to a cup of sugar. All I do is trade the sugar in for 1/4 cup of pyure.
I wash and core an apple 🍎 and add to the chop. And use 2 bags of cranberries. Before THM, I sweetened with honey 🍯.
Hi Toni – An apple sounds like a lovely addition to a fresh cranberry relish – thank you for sharing.