A Different Kind Of Coleslaw

I have not been sticking to my meal plan or my diet very well this week.  I am finding it really hard for some reason.  Yesterday I kind of had a big carby blowout and today I got back on track.  We can make mistakes but we also need to forgive ourselves and move on.

So I finally roasted a turkey!  I have been waiting a long time for turkey in my home.  We had two turkey dinners at relatives houses over Christmas so I didn't want to make one here too.  Mark gets sick of turkey quickly.  I never get get sick of turkey.  I love it!  I love picking at the leftovers and one of my favorites is turkey sandwiches, heavy on the mayo.  I also like them with a bit of cranberry sauce.  Yummy!

Canned cranberry sauce is mostly sugar.  I thought I would make my own but I added a bit of a twist.  Rhubarb!  I have bags of it in the freezer but I only have one bag of cranberries.  Both are tart and add a nice taste, why not!  Since Mark is still a very heavy sugar user and doesn't care much for tart things, I made it plain to add sweetner after.  I bought some Kirsda stevia and added it to my sauce before eating.  It is probably the best option for stevia I have without ordering online.  Plus it's made in Canada :).  Always a bonus.

Cranberry-Rhubarb Sauce

2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries

1 pound chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup chia seeds

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with a thin layer of water.  Bring the cranberries and rhubarb to a boil.  When the cranberries split, remove from heat.  Add the chia seeds to help it gel (I added when it was warm but I am not sure the best consistency for absorbing the extra liquid).  Chill and serve. Sweeten to taste before serving.

As you can see, I didn't consume mine as a sauce but mixed in with my coleslaw.  It was really good!  It had a nice crunchy bite to it that went well with the turkey. I cooked the turkey from frozen for most of the day so it doesn't have that nice crispy skin I like so much.  All in all, it was a berry good meal and I look forward to lots of yummy leftover!  

It made a lot, nearly a liter and a half.  You may prefer to remove some liquid before serving rather than gelling it all but I don't mind the excess.

Just some notes on Cranberries and Rhubarb:

Glycemic Load of Rhubarb

• ½ cup of diced rhubarb: 1
• 1 medium rhubarb stalk (a little over 2 ounces): 1

More Information about the Glycemic Load

Health Benefits of Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a good source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C.

Glycemic Load of Cranberries

• 1 oz of cranberries: 0
• ½ cup chopped cranberries: 1
  ½ cup whole cranberries: 1

More Information about the Glycemic Load

Health Benefits of Cranberries

Cranberries are a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. They are rich inphytonutrients, especially antioxidants which can protect cells from damage, lower risk of cardiovasular disease, and provide other health benefits. Cranberries also have an antibacterial effect in the mouth and GI and urinary tracts.