With cherries starting to show up in the grocery stores and Memorial Day coming up, I created this tasty sauce to celebrate the start of barbecuing season. Condiments can be a big addition of sodium to your diet. Barbecue sauce is one of them. Standard store bought BBQ sauce can contain anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 mg of sodium in 2 cups! This BBQ sauce delivers only 180 mg per 2 cups. Huge reduction! This sauce makes for a great addition to any recipe calling for barbecue sauce and it is easy to make. So start off your barbecue season with this healthy and delicious cherry BBQ sauce!
Fresh or frozen cherries work well with this sauce. If you are not able to find cherries at the store, blueberries make for a great substitution. Store this sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Cherries are one of my favorite fruits. I remember as a child going to the cherry orchards in Northern California and picking as many as we could carry. Cherries make for a great snack by themselves or are great used in an array of dishes. One cup of cherries supplies: about 100 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 340 mg of potassium, 20 mg of calcium, and 99 IU of vitamin A. Cherries also contain the phytochemicals: quercetin, phenolic compounds and anthocyanins. Quercetin may help to prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract and may help to prevent urinary tract infections.
Simply cook the mixture for 15 minutes then puree the sauce in a food processor until smooth. Using cherries in savory dishes is another way to enjoy summer fruit. This sauce can be used to liven up grilled chicken or fish or can be used with shredded pork or chicken, (recipes to follow soon in the blog).
So enjoy this beautiful fruit and try out this sauce to help to liven up your BBQ dishes!
Cherry BBQ Sauce
Author: Brittany Sparks
Makes: 2 Cups Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Cups Halved and Pitted Cherries (Fresh or Frozen)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Shallots, Chopped or ¼ Cup Onion
1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
½ Cup Water
Directions:
In a medium saucepan add all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and once slightly cooled puree the mixture in a food processor until smooth.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size (2 Tbsp):
Calories 34, Total Fat 1.8 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g, Saturated Fat 0.2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Sodium 11 mg, Total Carbohydrate 4.5 g, Dietary Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 0.3 g, Potassium 57 mg, Phosphorous 6.9 mg, Vitamin A 131 IU