Welcome back to our monthly Foodie Extravaganza!
If this is your first time joining us, the Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient into recipes to share with you, and this month that ingredient is a Valentine’s Day classic…cherries!
That means there are 17 delicious & unique cherry recipes waiting for you at the end of this post. Yay!
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Cherries! I love cherries, but I must admit that I don’t bother buying them until the Ranier Cherries are in season. Those are my faves. When I saw this month’s theme was cherries, I was a bit confused because I didn’t think cherries were available yet, so I went and bought myself a pack of the fuzzy variety.
Frozen cherries. Well, wouldn’t you know it, the last few days of January suddenly cherries hit the grocery. I guess cherries really are available right now. *shrug*
All that to say…cherries! Is it weird that the first thing I thought of making with cherries was meat? You’d think it’d be a pie or something, but no, my mind doesn’t work that way. After spending weeks going back and forth over which protein to use, I finally settled on…none. I know, I’m so decisive.
This BBQ sauce is such a great mix of sweet, tangy and smokey that it would work with almost any protein. I paired it with meatballs (made from my turkey kale slider recipe) here and with slow smoked pork ribs for the Super Bowl (nom nom nom). I’m drooling over the thought of it slathered over grilled chicken or paired alongside pork chops. Yum!
All the sweetness in this sauce comes from the cherries, so there’s no added sugar for those who avoid it
Cherry BBQ Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweet cherries (thawed if previously frozen)
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 Tbs smoked paprika
- 1-2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roughly chop the onion and garlic.
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, saute the onion until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute more.
- Add the tomato paste and cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring to combine.
- Lower the heat to medium low and add the cherries and paprika.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes more, breaking up the cherries as they soften and using the juices to deglaze the pan.
- Add the vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool enough to handle.
- Transfer mixer to a blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Depending on the flavor of your cherries, you may also want to add a bit of sugar or vinegar at this point.
Have cherries hit your local markets? Check out the rest of the amazing #foodieextravaganza bloggers for ideas on how to use them!
4 Ingredient Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake Balls by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies by Making Miracles
Real Maraschino Cherries by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Fresh Cherry Crisp by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Chocolate Cherry Brownies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Breakfast Yogurt with Cherry Sauce by Brunch with Joy
Cherry Apple Crumble Tart by Food Lust People Love
Cherry Pie Bites by The Freshman Cook
Dark Cherry BBQ Sauce by The Joyful Foodie
Balsamic Cherry Brie Stuffed French Toast by Pantry Friendly Cooking
Cherry Chocolate Coconut Slices by Baking in Pyjamas
Vanilla Ice Cream with Dried Cherries and Dark Chocolate by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Chocolate Cherry Protein Smoothie by Mrs. Penguin
Cherry Danishes by Passion Kneaded
Dark Cherry-Cranberry Compote by Rhubarb and Honey
National Cherry Month by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Crock Pot Balsamic Cherry Beef Roast by Rae Gun Ramblings
Cherry Glazed Cherry Muffins by We Like to Learn as We Go
Special shout out to our host this month – Kaylin of Keep it Simple, Sweetie. You rock!
