No, I’m no hippie, but I just made my own applesauce for the first time. I saw Rachael Ray do it to top on pork, so I made my own variety.

Let me tell you, I made this in 30 minutes flat, including the time that it took to run upstairs and shower and dress before work. I then stuck it in the freezer for 10 minutes and packed it in my “lunch” which fell at 3pm that day. It’s good cold or hot.

Unsweetened applesauce is a staple in my diet. Here’s how I eat it the most, in ways that keep me from feeling like a 5 year old:

A spread on crispy, warm toast
Mixed with plain hot oatmeal for fruity sweetness
Used for “moisture” in much of my baking (oil sub, butter sub, sugar sub)
Just plain in a bowl with a bunch of cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg
Heated with craisins mixed in and crunchy granola on top
Topped on chicken

This recipe is for chunky applesauce, but you can put it in a food processor to reach your desired consistency.

Cranberry Coconut Applesauce
4 apples, 2 green and 2 red
1 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup shredded coconut (if unsweetened, add the brown sugar)
1/2 t. cinnamon

Dash of ground nutmeg
1 TB brown sugar (optional)
2 TB chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

one: Core and slice apples into bite-sized chunks. Stir all ingredients in a medium-large pot and bring to a boil.

 two: Cover and turn heat down to medium low for 25 minutes, until sauce is thickened and apples are soft and mushy. Using back of wooden spoon, smush apples a bit to create a thicker sauce.
three: Eat hot or cold.

Eat alone, as a side with dinner, or on top of a salty pork or chicken entree.

In one bite, you taste the soft apple, the crunchy coconut and the tart cranberry juice cooked in.