Naturally Sweetened Strawberry Sauce

Author: Heather Leno
Ingredients:

1 qt. strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup dried pineapple pieces, not those that are dried like little brooms!

If the pineapple is dried with some sugar, I would suggest soaking and rinsing.  The pineapple is the best compliment to the strawberries, however, if you can only find the “broom” kind,  it isn’t as delicious and you may want to try some of the options in the Note below.  

Instructions:
  1. Soak thawed berries and dried pineapple overnight in fridge, or if using fresh berries, soften pineapple in boiling water for a few minutes and drain.
  2. Combine in blender and blend until pineapple is smooth.
  3. Serve at room temperature over waffles, pancakes, or ice cream with berries.
  4. Use within 2 days, or freeze for a later date.
Notes:

These options will not be as sweet, but for those who have toned down their sweet tooth, they are easy to make.  The applesauce option also works wonderfully for thickening and sweetening blueberries.  To bump up the sweetness of these sauces, you can add a tablespoon or two of date sugar which sweetens and thickens as it absorbs the liquids of the sauce.

Option 1:

Blend berries with a ripe banana.  Just have sufficient berries per banana so they are the dominant flavor. This is a quick and easy version that does require sweeter berries and results in a thinner more syrupy sauce.

Option 2:

Strawberry-applesauce is another option. Just blend some thawed berries with your applesauce.  Our homemade applesauce, which is very sweet even though it has no added sugar, works great for sweetening and thickening the berries.

Option 3:

Mash berries to desired consistency (if frozen, thaw in the microwave or on the stove at med-low with a cover on your kettle).  — do not heat until cooked or warm; unlike blueberries, strawberries are best at room temperature.

 

*If you use cornstarch, an organic instant clearjel is a great way to thicken sauces, sweet or savory.  Just add a teaspoon to a tablespoon, depending on the quantity of sauce.  Add while the blender is running on low.  It takes it a minute to thicken, so don’t keep adding more until you see how thick it has become.