Italian Braised Lamb Shanks with Orzo Recipe

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Braised lamb shanks with orzo – to me embraces the true meaning of Italian slow food.  Lamb shanks provide a cucina rustica, or Italian home style cooking, look; but more importantly, the shanks provide a deep mouth-watering flavor.

This is one of my favorite “go to” group dinner party dishes as it presents quite well on a large serving platter. I’ve been making this dish for over 20 years (probably around the first time I went to Italy with my mom and sister), so I’m not entirely sure where I inherited (and the later adapted into a low-sodium version) this recipe from.  I always just thank the Italians for such wonderful inspiration, grazie!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4 lbs lamb shanks (~4 lamb shanks; or 2 lamb shanks + 2 lbs leg of lamb cut into 1 ½ – 2” cubes.  Allow for 1 lamb shank per person)
1/8 cup grapeseed oil (for searing)

¼ cup olive oil (use half of this if you’re using the Ninja 3-in-1)
1 tablespoon pureed garlic (or less)
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into ½” pieces
½ cup onion, finely chopped
3 cups tomatoes, chopped into ½” pieces (or 1 – 28 oz can no salt added Italian plum tomatoes)
1 cup dry white wine (i.e., Pinot Grigio)*
3/8 cup lightly packed fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dry)
3/8 cup lightly packed fresh oregano, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dry)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dry)
3 to 4 cups low sodium chicken stock   (Note: set aside some additional stock in case your orzo isn’t cooked through and you need to add more).
1 lb orzo pasta (or roughly, just over 2 cups)

Freshly grated low-sodium Parmesan cheese; and if your low sodium diet allows it – sprinkle a few pitted kalamata olives into the dish.

(* if you choose to cook alcohol free – then use low sodium chicken stock. If you’re curious and want to know more about cooking with alcohol, read our blog post here . We recognize that alcohol isn’t meant for everyone’s diet)

Directions

  1. Clean the shanks by removing the skin/fat. Pat dry (with paper towels).
  2. Heat the dutch oven on high.  Add the grape seed oil and sear the lamb on all sides. Remove and set aside.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium high.  Add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, onion and sauté until softened (translucent). Return the lamb to the dutch oven.
  4. Add tomatoes, herbs, wine, and just enough stock to cover. Bake uncovered for 80-100 minutes in a 350 oven (*Ninja users – the cooking time may be reduced, because you’ll be cooking this covered).
  5. Remove from oven.  Measure the amount of cooking liquid remaining (unless you’re really good with eyeballing it. The easiest way is to remove the lamb and then pour the liquid into a large, heat resistant, glass-measuring cup. Be careful because the dutch oven and its contents will be extremely hot). I think it’s important to know what your liquid to dry orzo ratio is before you start cooking orzo. The downside of not knowing what the ratio is: (a) not enough liquid (not horrible, because you can add more stock) or (b) having too much liquid = soggy dish. This one is difficult to recover from. The liquid to orzo ratio is noted on the orzo manufacturer’s directions and can vary a little (generally, we follow a 3:2 ratio).
  6. Reassemble the lamb and original liquid back into the dutch oven. Add the orzo and top off with the incremental amount of chicken stock. Place on the (or set to) stove top and bring to a boil.
  7. Place back in the oven (or switch to Ninja oven setting at 350F) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. If all of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo isn’t tender, add more stock.
  8. Remove from heat and serve. Finish with freshly grated low-sodium Parmesan cheese (and/or olives if your low sodium diet will allow it).

Zabaglione – Make A Decadent Dessert Using Three Ingredients!

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Simply sublime when eaten fresh, Zabaglione is decadence made with only three ingredients!

Try a spoonful, or four. Warm Zabaglione magically melts in your mouth and becomes sheer happiness.  Its taste far surpasses whipped cream.  Light and airy, its texture lies somewhere between a whipped sauce and a frothy custard.  Served atop berries, or simply placed in a cup garnished with crushed amoretti biscuits and a sprig of mint, it is unpretentious and classic. Many find themselves going the traditional route – dipping Italian cookies or biscotti into a cupful of Zabaglione, bite after bite, the happiness becomes addicting.

One of the first things we learned after switching to a low sodium diet is that ordering low sodium desserts can be a challenge when dining out.  It’s a good thing for low-sodium, gluten or dairy free eaters* that most restaurants keep these three staple ingredients on hand: eggs, sugar, and wine!  (Although, you might have to plead your low sodium case with the owner to order Zabaglione off-menu.)

Depending upon the origin of the restaurant, chef, owners, or where your taste buds happen to land in Western Europe – you might need to become multi-lingual to order up a cup of happiness; it’s been known to travel incognito using the following names: Zabaglione, Zabaione (Italy) or Sabayon (France).

Wine – yes, the wine you use will affect the end taste. 

My cardinal wine cooking rule is to always cook with wine that is good enough to drink with a good meal; cooking with unpleasant tasting wine will definitely ruin the flavor of your zabaglione.

Marsala and moscato wine are popular choices.  Personally, we like using an Italian vin santo wine.  The tradeoff is that vin santo’s availability and cost relative to marsala wine may not present a compelling set of circumstances enough to buy a bottle simply to make zabaglione; the upside is that vin santo (much like marsala) is a sweet wine which keeps relatively well under refrigeration. So fear not, you don’t have to rush and feel you have to drink the whole bottle of vin santo in one evening.  Sparkling wines can also add a flare to your Zabaglione: Moscato D’Asti, and prosecco tend to be the most frequently used.

Zabaglione Food Pairing Suggestions

*Note: Yes, Zabaglione is one of our “special occasion” desserts because the recipe uses wine.  If you’re curious and want to know more about cooking with alcohol, read our blog post here .  We recognize that alcohol isn’t meant for everyone’s diet – so we’re sorry if alcohol is on your prohibited foods list and we’ve inadvertently taunted you. Also, this dairy-free Zabaglione recipe is also a good dessert consideration for gluten or lactose free eaters – our zabaglione recipe doesn’t use dairy; heavy cream can often help prolong the shelf life of zabaglione, but also affects the flavor and texture. You’ll want to be extra careful when choosing the wine (allergens).

Zabaglione Recipe

Zabaglione Ingredients

4 egg yolks (**we use raw, pasteurized eggs for this recipe)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vin santo or marsala wine ** (see above for other options)

Directions

Use a double boiler / bain-marie; bring the water to a boil. (To construct a makeshift double boiler – fill a pot with 1 – 2 inches of water; bring to a boil.  Select another rounded pot or [copper or heat tolerant glass] bowl that can sit comfortably on top of the pot, the rounded bowl becomes important because otherwise the ingredients will stick to the edges, overcook or burn.  Do not select a bowl that sits low enough to touch the boiling water – you’ll scald the zabaglione this way.  Essentially, you’re using steam from the bottom pot to heat the liquid in the top pot).

Combine and whisk all ingredients together (i.e., top part of the double boiler/a> or rounded copper or heat tolerant glass bowl).  Once you combine all of the ingredients, it is essential that you continue to whisk (to ensure that the zabaglione stays uniform); sugar and egg yolks don’t play well when left alone.

Keep whisking; literally your arm might feel like it’s going to fall off if you’re not using an electric mixer.  I actually stand on a kitchen stool, because I find that it makes whisking a little easier over a bain-marie (plus, I’m old school – I like to use a traditional whisk instead of our electric mixer for spontaneous desserts).

As the heat increases the overall temperature of the zabaglione, the texture will change. Bring it up to 145-150F and keep whisking.  The heating process may seem like a long time because you’re busy whisking away, but it actually doesn’t take too long (usually less than 5 minutes).  The completion test is the ribbon – the point when you can lift the whisk away from the zabaglione, and for a few scant seconds, it makes a ribbon-like pattern before becoming uniform again. Be sure to watch the temperature, because there’s a fine line where the zabaglione might get too hot, start to curdle and scorch.  Quickly bring the temperature down, continue to whisk for about a minute, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.

Golden Biscotti Recipe

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Holiday baking season is upon us!  To celebrate Italy (the region that we’re blogging about right now), Italian foods, and the holiday season, we’ve converted Rose Levy Bernabaum’s Golden Biscotti recipe (with her permission) into a low sodium recipe version.

Baked twice, these delicious little morels can theoretically be stored for lengthy periods of time… the main problem is that our biscotti seem to mysteriously disappear (into our stomachs) and typically don’t last in our house for more than a couple of days!  Great for eating at home (or for giving as a gift) – and particularly delightful when dipped in coffee or zabaglione, or paired with vin santo wine (if you happen to drink alcohol).

Biscotti baking tip: we recommend using an electric knife (serrated blade) to cut the biscotti after the “first bake”.  It made the process a whole lot easier.

Biscotti Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

1 ¼ teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons orange zest (or zest from one large orange)

2 large eggs

½ cup olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 2/3 cups unblanched, sliced almonds

1/3 cup unblanched whole almonds

 

Topping Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg white

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, sift together all but ¼ cup of the flour with the baking soda. Set aside

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugar and orange zest until the zest is finely minced.  Add the eggs and process for about 30 seconds or until thoroughly blended.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.  With the motor running, add the oil, extracts, and process until blended.

Add the sliced almonds and process until finely chopped.  Add the flour mixture and process for about 7 seconds or until the flour is almost incorporated.  (There will be some flour clinging to the sides of the work bowl.  Do not over process, as the dough will be too stiff to incorporate the flour completely in the processor.)

Scrape the dough (including any flour from the work bowl) onto a lightly floured counter and knead the dough, adding the remaining ¼ cup of flour to form a soft, non-sticky dough.

Shape the dough into two 2-inch-wide cylinders.  Each will be about 7 ½ inches long.  Line up the whole almonds lengthwise in rows along the dough and press them well into the dough.  With the palms of your hands, roll the cylinders on the counter, enclosing the almonds and maintaining the 2-inch diameters of the cylinders.  Place the cylinders 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  Beat the egg white.  Brush the cylinders lightly with the beaten egg white and sprinkle them with the cinnamon topping.

Bake on the upper rack of the oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.

Cool the cylinders on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until just warm.  Slip them off the sheet and onto a counter.  With a serrated knife, cut diagonal ½-inch slices.  Place the slices closely together on the cookie sheets.

Toast the slices for about 8 minutes.  Using a small metal spatula, turn them and bake for another 8 minutes or until golden brown.  For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.  Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Store: In an airtight container at room temperature

Keeps:  Several months.

 

* The giveaway is a sponsored message for Safest Choice Eggs.  The sponsored message will be deleted from this post once the contest has been completed (this is not a sponsored post).

5 Easy & Tasty Low-Sodium Recipes For Mother’s Day

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If you happen to find yourself scrambling for a little low-sodium recipe inspiration for Mother’s Day, we have a handful of easy, super tasty ideas for you:

Bellini’s (non-alcoholic) make a brilliant and tasty refreshment for any Mother’s Day brunch.

Pain perdu – French toast is a soul-soothing and simple breakfast to make. Dress it up with fresh fruit to create a colorful platter.

Orange-Vanilla, Cranberry and Pecan Granola (or Granola Bars). Homemade granola is not only great for breakfast, it’s a lasting gift: mom can snack on it all week. And, it’s easier to make than you might think.

Break out the waffle iron for apple-cinnamon waffles. A delicate crunchy exterior leads to a soft, comforting pillow of goodness inside. Our recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and simply scrumptious.

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables - chewy, light and healthy, make your mom couscous “pearls” for brunch.

What are you making for Mother’s Day? Share below.

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Come, join the fun! Enter to win one of 25 fun prizes in our “Birthday Giveaway”!

 

Super Bowl Party Appetizers —Low Sodium & Tasty

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Three healthy, hearty, tasty appetizers and a drink for your Game Day party.

In mid-January we start feeling the excitement brewing over America’s winter party day – Super Bowl Sunday!  An American day of decadence, just thinking of game day conjures up images of guttural high-fives, male bonding, and a smorgasbord of salty, fatty finger foods and dips. In fact, the last time I looked at the Super Bowl web site, it was peppered with advertisements for hot wings and heartburn drugs…no kidding.

Many fans anticipate eating naughty, and all bets are off for health-conscious snacking. But, we’ve created three fun low-sodium appetizers that the guys and girls will gobble up: turkey-cinnamon meatballs with sweet & spicy mango sauce, toasted mixed nuts with a quick cinnamon brown sugar variation, and our Mango Salsa. Pair these up with a Bellini and enjoy the festivities.

 

Turkey Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce

Infused with cinnamon and finely minced onion, our flavorful lean turkey meatballs are delightfully complimented by the sweet heat of our simple mango dipping sauce.

 

Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – with Optional Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Coating 

Five minutes to pan toast crispy rich nuts. Toss them in cinnamon and brown sugar for a sweet treat.

 

Mango Salsa

Mango salsa pairs well with tortilla chips and adds a fresh, delicious flavor to chicken or fish.

 

Bellini’s

Make a deliciously cheerful refreshment  for the whole family — non-alcoholic or a variation with sparkling wine.

Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – “Naked” or with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar

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Toasting nuts is quick and easy. Five minutes is all it takes to transform raw nuts into crisp, warm, irresistible morsels. When toasted, pecans develop a buttery, smoky flavor. Walnuts develop deeper sweetness and a rich, nutty flavor.

We like to keep bags of raw nuts in the pantry for impromptu toasting and healthy snacking. And, they’re simply fantastic for entertaining and cleansing the palette between sweet and savory food bites. These toasted nuts are also delightful in salads and desserts, or sprinkled with seasonings. We’ve included an option for a sweet treat: cinnamon and brown sugar coated nuts. There’s plenty of opportunity to get creative.

Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – “Naked” or with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar (low sodium)

Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – “Naked” or with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup walnut halves
  •  :
  • Optional for Cinnamon Brown Sugar Toasted Nuts
  • Olive oil spray (or other oil spray)
  • 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Directions For Toasting "Naked"
  2. Place nuts in nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat;
  3. Stir frequently for 3-5 minutes until pecans deepen in color and a nutty scent develops (keep an eye on them to prevent burning);
  4. Transfer immediately to serving bowl (nuts will continue to cook and could burn if left in the hot pan).
  5.  
  6. For Cinnamon Brown Sugar Toasted Nuts
  7. Follow steps above
  8. In the bowl, spray nuts with oil, lightly coating;
  9. Add cinnamon, brown sugar and mix until nuts are coated around;
  10. Let cool and serve.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/01/toasted-pecans-walnuts-naked-or-with-cinnamon-brown-sugar/

Turkey-Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce

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Simple to make and DASH (low salt) diet friendly, our hearty turkey meatballs are infused with cinnamon and finely minced onion. Grab a toothpick and dip one into our sweet and zippy mango sauce and experience a filling, colorful bouquet of flavors. These meatballs make a tasty low-fat appetizer, perfect for parties and entertaining.

Turkey-Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce (low sodium)

Turkey-Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • Spicy Mango Sauce
  • 1 Mango or 1/2 lb pre-cut mango slices. (Fresh, ripe mango preferred. Learn how to pick, ripen & prepare.)
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • Dash cayenne pepper to taste
  •  
  • Turkey Meatballs
  • 1 lb  ground turkey breast (lean)
  • ½ cup red onion, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking oil (we recommend grape seed or canola oils)

Instructions

  1. Sweet & Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce
  2. Peel, de-seed and slice mango;
  3. Place sliced mango, orange juice, rice vinegar in a blender and puree;
  4. Add brown sugar to taste and blend (the riper the mango, the less sugar needed);
  5. Sprinkle cayenne to taste and blend ( we used 1/8 teaspoon and it was quite hot);
  6. Refrigerate in a bowl until serving time.
  7.  
  8. Turkey Meatballs
  9. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, minced onion, and cinnamon. Mix well and roll into 1-inch balls;
  10. In a non-stick pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Sauté the turkey balls, turning until cooked through (the center should not be “pink”).  This takes approximately 8 minutes, but the time depends upon the heat of your stove, size of your pan, etc.;
  11. Serve with mango dipping sauce.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/01/turkey-meatball-appetizer-sweet-spicy-mango-sauce-recipe/

Cooking with alcohol: how much alcohol is retained?

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Today’s post shares my newfound knowledge of cooking with alcohol.  I’ve always wondered,

exactly how much alcohol am I taking in?

The winter party season also kicks off “holiday heart syndrome” (irregular heartbeat caused from “stress, dehydration, and drinking”).  This is a frenetic quarter where hospitals see an increased influx of people riding the “red ambulance sleigh” directly into the emergency ward.  Letters to Santa are instead replaced by signing liability waivers of “in case we have to perform open heart surgery”, and what’s left in our stockings are new diagnoses commonly nicknamed “Merry Christmas coronary” or “Happy Hanukkah heart attack” (coronary artery disease).

Coincidentally, they say that the average person gains one pound (0.48 kg) during the holiday season, November through January — sadly, it’s that extra “one pound a year” that many of us don’t manage to take off.  Personally, I think a lot of my “holiday” weight gain is caused from sipping down a few too many “holiday cocktails” — but if I think about what I eat, alcohol also plays a great game of hide-and-seek in party food, hitching a caloric ride without much fanfare.  In particular, I’ve noticed that delicious wines, liqueurs, and spirits sneak their way into all sorts of savory dishes, sauces, and sweet desserts …   Amaretto ice cream or Grand Marnier Hot chocolate, anyone?

I now try to watch the amount of alcohol (and sodium) that I consume, especially having had my husband unknowingly cast in the role of “emergency ward pick-up” in a not-so-distant past.

Curious about the alcoholic content in cooked foods, we did a little digging into the scientifically measured values of alcohol retained during cooking.  This is what we found:

  • Alcohol (ethanol) does not “cook off” when sauces are brought to a boil: for the percentage of alcohol to be effectively reduced, foods containing alcohol must cook for several hours.

In April, 1992, a group of researchers published an article, “Alcohol Retention in Food Preparation”, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which cited the following:

    • alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat – 85% alcohol retained
    • alcohol flamed – 75% alcohol retained
    • no heat, stored overnight – 70% alcohol retained
    • baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture – 45% alcohol retained
    • baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture:

Cooking Time

% Alcohol retained after cooking

0.25

40

0.50

35

1.00

25

1.50

20

2.00

10

2.50

5

 

  • Additionally, (in separate study) in tested alcoholic beverages, the sodium, potassium, and phosphorous values did not appear to be significantly affected after cooking/baking over the above mentioned times.  The USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors (Release 6, Dec 2007, Page 12) noted that there were no changes in sodium, potassium, and phosphorous values: foods were measured over the following time increments: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours; and baked, unstirred for 25 minutes.

For me, “finding” these study results were eye opening; so much for bringing sauces to a boil.  At least this information has provided me with an increased awareness of alcohol’s retention in cooked foods…especially useful as we head into the holiday season…

Low Sodium Shortbread Cookie Recipe

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Dust off your baking pans and whip up a batch of thin, crisp, flaky, melt in-your-mouth shortbread cookies.  All it takes is four ingredients.  Sounds simple? It is.

I’ve been making this shortbread recipe since I was in grade school: if I could do it back then, you can do it now. My “heirloom recipe” ingredients were lifted directly from the back of a (legacy) Canada Corn Starch box — though my preparation methods are entirely different.  I “adapted” this shortbread preparation method inadvertently at the age of 11 — the day I “ran out of time” to soften the butter at room temperature.  Back then, our microwave didn’t really do much in the way of “softening” butter, so I used the “pie crust” method of cutting the cold butter into the flour mixture and a superior cookie was born.  My shortbread cookies are flaky, tasty, and crisp…and I’ve never looked back.

As it turns out — these cookie ingredients fall under the “very low sodium” category… though, with the main binding ingredient being butter, you may want to hold off eating the entire batch (by yourself) in one sitting!

Yield: Makes approximately 32 cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch (125 mL)

1/2 cup icing sugar (125 mL)

1 cup all-purpose flour (250 mL)

3/4 cup unsalted butter (*cold/refrigerated) (175 mL)

(Optional: Icing, colored [cake decorating] “sanding” sugar)

*Note:  I do not recommend starting this recipe with softened butter or blending this mixture a lot with your hands: I think that too much kneading (via soft butter) changes the overall composition of the mix, making the cookies far more dense.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300F
  2. Sift together cornstarch, icing sugar, and all-purpose flour.  Blend (well) in a bowl.
  3. Separately, cut the butter into small “slabs”, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
  4. Cut the butter into the dry mixture: this can achieved by using two knives (cut the butter repeatedly into the flour), a fork, or a pastry blender.
  5. Cut the butter into the mixture until the mixture is evenly distributed.
  6. Gently knead the mixture into a ball.  At this point, the heat from your hands will start to melt the butter, and allow the components to stick together.  It doesn’t take a lot of kneading to make this dough ball.
  7. Roll out the dough (approximately 1/4″), cut with cookie cutters, and place on a baking sheet.
  8. Bake 300F oven:  approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
  9. Remove from heat, cool on wire rack.  Decorate as desired.

Make A Cranberry Spritzer with Cranberry Sauce

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We wanted to create a seasonal refreshment, so we thought, why not? Let’s see what we can do with cranberry sauce.

Cranberry sauce creates a strong base to work with, plus it has the added sensation of edible pieces of superfruit. We’ve accented the flavor with pomegranate and orange juices, making a refreshing and festive drink.

 

Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients

1 cup cranberry sauce*
1 cup pomegranate juice
½ cup orange juice
5 Tablespoon simple syrup (or 2.5 Tablespoons of sugar)
2 cups carbonated water
Lemon or lime slices (optional)

* To create the sauce from scratch, simply follow the instructions provided on the cranberry package.

Directions
1) Combine cranberry sauce, pomegranate juice, orange juice and simple syrup in a pitcher and mix with a whisk. Break-up any whole cranberries.
2) Add carbonated water and gently stir just two to three times so it doesn’t lose its fizz.
3) Serve over ice with a slice of lemon or lime for garnish.