Healthy Berry Recipes

What makes this poke cake so special? After this lightened-up cake is baked and cooled, it's poked with holes (hence the name!) that are filled with fresh pureed strawberries thickened with gelatin to prevent the cake from getting soggy. The end result? Sweet strawberry flavor inside and out!

If you want to know how to make elderberry syrup, the step-by-step process outlined in this recipe is simple. Fresh ginger and manuka honey boost this tonic's potential healing power, and the manuka honey gives it great body (regular honey will also work). With this recipe, you can create a soothing, tea-like sipper by mixing the elderberry syrup with hot water. But if you like something a little cooler, pour the elderberry syrup over ice and top it off with club soda for an invigorating elixir to support your immune system. If you're feeling a little more adventurous, you can use it in a cocktail (see Associated Recipes).

This recipe features a brisket rub to rule all other brisket rubs. Covering the brisket with parchment paper before putting the lid on the pot is a classic French technique that creates a more richly flavored sauce.

Expand your holiday desserts repertoire with this cranberry galette. Frangipane is a sweet pastry cream typically made with ground almonds; here we substitute ground sesame seeds in the form of tahini to give it a complex, earthy flavor. If you've made the Cranberry-Almond Thumbprint Cookies (see Associated Recipes), you can use some of the leftover jam in Step 9.

A tangy Indian-spiced cranberry chutney is a flavorful way to perk up simple roasted winter squash.

This ruby-red cranberry relish recipe gets refreshing crunch from apple and celery. It's also delightful alongside a roast chicken or pork loin.

A dip in egg white and a quick roll in sugar adds a delightfully crisp crust to these holiday cookies. You'll have leftover jam--perfect for spreading on toast or for glazing the Cranberry Galette with Sesame Frangipane (see Associated Recipes).

Apple butter and applesauce make this spice cake exceptionally moist and tender. The bright berry compote and billowy whipped cream provide perfect counterpoints.

These light and creamy desserts are a welcome departure from traditional cake or pie. Put these easy pudding cakes in the oven to bake just before sitting down for a meal, and you'll get a perfectly timed warm dessert.

This colorful cocktail gives a new way to use Grand Marnier liqueur that makes a festive option for holiday toasts and special occasions. Frozen cranberries make a playful garnish and also do double duty by keeping drinks cold.

Use up leftover red wine to make this tart and savory sauce that's delicious when drizzled over seared steak, pork chops or turkey. This healthy cranberry sauce will also impress any Thanksgiving guest with its vibrant color and flavor.

This custard filling is what takes this buttermilk pie recipe to the next level. It tastes like a panna cotta with a bit of attitude from the tang of the buttermilk and a generous sprinkling of cranberries on top.

Cranberry sauce has a role beyond tradition at the T-day meal. The tart berry adds excitement to mild turkey, but it also provides balance by cutting through the richness in other dishes. For this easy relish recipe--which comes together in minutes--the earthy sweetness of dates and cinnamon, plus a touch of citrus, complement the zing of the berries to create a familiar holiday flavor profile.

The tangy-sweet dressing in this spinach salad beautifully amplifies the apples and cranberries--and the creamy goat cheese transforms it into the perfect salad. Tasters raved about this easy fall salad. If you can't find Pink Lady apples, any sweet, crisp apple is a worthy substitute. Want to make this salad a main meal? Top with some rotisserie chicken, chickpeas or tofu.

This colorful and healthy cranberry salad will brighten up any Thanksgiving spread. It's sweet but not overly so, with juicy oranges, crunchy walnuts and crisp celery and apples. It's easy to make and can be prepped ahead--plus, you can use fresh or frozen cranberries, which extends the season of this salad. We call for Honeycrisp apples, but Gala or Fuji would also work well. Serve this cranberry salad with your Thanksgiving turkey, of course, or try it with chicken or pork any time of year.

Serve this hearty and healthy fall salad with roasted pork tenderloin, chicken or salmon, or with your Thanksgiving meal. All of the vegetables are roasted on the same pan, so this recipe is easy to prep, and it tastes great warm or at room temperature so it's perfect for holiday buffet tables and potlucks. Cranberries add a sweet-tart edge, while the maple-tahini dressing provides depth.

This spiked seltzer cocktail is a marriage between a Tequila Sunrise and a Sex on the Beach cocktail. The clementine-hibiscus seltzer really makes this sweet, but not syrupy, cocktail stand out! Serve this chilled or over ice.

Inspired by the classic mojito cocktail, this festive and healthy fruit salad gets zing from rum, lime and mint. The optional piment d'Espelette--a sweet, spicy ground pepper from the Basque region of France--adds a hint of heat that's a nice contrast to the sweet fruit. Look for this spice at specialty stores, well-stocked markets or online. You could also swap in chile-lime seasoning blend (such as Tajín) for a similar subtle kick or omit the spice altogether. Feel free to skip the rum if you prefer an alcohol-free salad. With or without the rum, this salad has summertime backyard BBQ written all over it.

Jammy and fruit-forward, this granita recipe is one you'll make again and again, especially when blueberries are at their peak. This treat takes some time with all of the freezing and scraping, but if you start in the morning it'll be ready for an afternoon barbecue. If fresh blueberries aren't available, you can substitute with frozen, thawed wild blueberries (which will give you a little extra nutrition, too!).

When you need a weekday grab-and-go breakfast, these blueberry-speckled whole-wheat muffins fit the bill (when you make them ahead, of course!) They have a great texture and flavor, and just enough blueberries to be fruit-filled in every bite. We stir blueberries into the flour mixture before adding the wet ingredients so they don't all stick to the bottom.