Dried Cranberries

Cranberries are commonly known to be of use in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections, but they have many other health benefits too. Newer studies have indicated that they promote oral and digestive health, along with raising HDL (good) cholesterol while lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol. They are also rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, and fiber. The only problem is that the season for fresh cranberries is short — just late September to December. But you can have these tart, red berries all year round by buying them frozen or, even better, by buying dried cranberries. The only reason dried cranberries have not reached the popularity level of raisins is because not enough people have discovered them yet. Dried cranberries are both tangy and sweet, making them tasty additions to salads, rice or meat dishes. You can use dried cranberries pretty much anywhere you'd use raisins, including muffins and breads. They are even slightly lower in calories than raisins (120 calories for dried cranberries versus 130 calories for raisins per 40 grams, or 1/4 cup). They make great high-energy snacks right out of the package. Once you discover dried cranberries, you'll wonder why you waited so long to try them!

Here is a recipe that uses dried cranberries — Tropical Couscous Salad from FabulousFoods.com

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