Cranberries: A Little Zing When We Most Need It

If you think cranberries are just for Thanksgiving, try this recipe. Not only are cranberries high in Vitamin C, they are anti-inflammatory and ant-bacterial, which is great for short-term immune system health, especially this time of year. Long-term, their anti-oxidants can support the immune system in many ways.

Vermont Cranberry Company cranberries - still going strong!

Back in November, I taught a class on cooking with local roots, and I highlighted a recipe that turned out to be a hit, both in the class and afterward. We had a lot of fun tasting our way through a rainbow of local root vegetables and then making roasted roots with cranberry vinaigrette. There are still quite a few local root vegetables in Produce that are great in this recipe.

Local roots in Produce

Now, I wish I could take credit for developing this recipe, but it came from a sister Co-op out in Seattle called PCC Natural Markets. I love looking at the classes and recipes of PCC, because not only are they something of a gold standard for many areas of education we would like to develop – their many class listings make me drool with envy – but they have many local and seasonal recipes that could have sprung from Vermont, but with a twist.

For example, this recipe uses local roots, cranberries, and goat cheese, but then takes a turn with the addition of toasted hazelnuts. (Hazelnuts are local to the Pacific Northwest, specifically Oregon). I never think of hazelnuts, but their nutty taste offsets the sweetness of the roots. The hazelnuts are sprinkled on top of the cranberry vinaigrette, which itself is liberally applied to the roasted roots and goat cheese.

We still have wonderful local roots and local cranberries in Produce, and as for the hazelnuts…. Well, we’ll just have to thank the Northwest for now. Vermont producers, anyone?

Roasted Roots with Hazelnuts, Goat Cheese, and Cranberry Vinaigrette