Cranberry Power and Scones

This Friday's fabulous featured food is a berry that I usually only think about at Thanksgiving or when someone says they have a urinary tract infection. Cranberries.

According to the "World's Healthiest Foods" (whfoods.com), cranberries seem to be effective against UTIs because of their proanthocyanidins (PACs) which acts as a barrier to bacteria that might otherwise attach itself to the urinary tract lining.

Whole cranberries do a better job of protecting our cardiovascular system and liver.  Cranberries that are water-harvested are exposed to greater amounts of natural sunlight, which deepens their red color and increases phytonutrient health benefits, some of which are their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 

According to WHFoods, "Over the past 5 years, scientists have identified an increasing number of mechanisms that help explain the anti-cancer properties of cranberries. These mechanisms are now known to include: blocked expression of MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases); inhibition of ODC (ornithine decarboxylase enzymes); stimulation of QRs (quinone reductase enzymes); inhibition of CYP2C9s (Phase I detoxification enzymes); and triggering of apoptosis (programmed cell death) in tumor cells. (Did you get all that?) The cancer-preventive benefits of cranberries are now known to extend to cancers of the breast, colon, lung, and prostate."

I shared a great chicken recipe using cranberries on November 4.  I'll add to that an interesting recipe that I adapted from Healthy Living How To (healthylivinghowto.com).  Let me know what you think of it.

Cranberry Drop Scones

Ingredients

1 cup Almond Flour
3 Tbsp. Coconut Flour
2- 3 Tbsp organic blue agave nectar
2 tsp. Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. orange or lemon peel
4-6 drops YL orange or lemon EO (optional)
Pinch Celtic Sea Salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract or 1/8 tsp raw, organic vanilla powder
1/2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries, rough chopped

Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In medium mixing bowl, sift together almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs and vanilla extract. Add eggs to flour and with spoon mix until batter forms. Fold in cranberries.

    
Drop 9 equal size mounds of scone batter onto baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to rack to cool. The scones are best served fresh or slightly reheated the next day to crisp them again.