Simplicity in the Kitchen - Fruit Sauce

I think it's time I start blogging about a different subject that's been on my heart for a while.

I see people in the restaurant adding salt to their meal like it's the end of the world, and people adding cupfuls of milk and as much sugar as can be dissolved to their coffee. I see people pushing aside some food they blatantly don't like, even though if they would really try it, they would find it tastes like a mouthful of awesome-rainbow. I know people who deep-fry too much, or add cream just because it tastes good. They disregard their health for what? Two minutes or so of taste?

Too many people are not open to change, to new ideas. What I'm trying to talk about here is to eat food as close to the source as possible.

I'm actually not going to talk about nutrition, but will once in a while post a recipe that can replace something you buy and take for granted. These recipes will be very simple, only using basic ingredients.

For example, I'm not buying jam anymore. Did you look at the ingredients? That's crazy! Please check the following recipe:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup pineapple

• Blend 2/3 of the fruits, and cut the rest in small pieces.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add everything, stirring once in a while.
• Remove after about 20 minutes, and let thicken.

That's it. It takes a total of 10 minutes to prepare, you have some delicious jam-sauce that will last you about two weeks if you're alone, you know what's inside, and you can be proud that you made something.

Check out his other one:

• 12-oz pack of fresh cranberries
• 1 orange
• 1 cup water

• Blend 2/3 of the fruits, and cut the remaining orange part in small pieces.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add everything, stirring once in a while.
• When most of the cranberries are popped, remove from heat and let thicken.

Do you notice a trend? You take random fruits, blend some of it, and heat. What you get is a sauce that is delicious on toasts in the morning.

Yes, it can be more expensive than buying a bottle of jam. Just remember that health doesn't have a price. You know exactly what you put in, and when you get back home later on, there is a pleasant fruit fragrance in the air. In a bottle of jam you purchase at the store, you really don't want to know how the fruits looked like.

You can of course tweak the recipe to your liking. You can add a bit of sugar (but please try not to get used to it too much), if you feel the taste is too bland, or that the cranberries are too acid. I personally enjoy it very much on a toast, and since it's more liquid than a jam, it moisten the bread a bit.

You can make pretty much any fruit sauce that way. I recently made a strawberry-kiwi sauce, and a strawberry-grape sauce. Just try different variations - fruit combinations that you may frown upon may turn out to be very good.

One note about water. You may need to add some, because some fruits have a lower water content. For example, strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries have a lot less water in them than apples, oranges, melons, and pineapples. Just add 1/2 cup to 1 cup, as you feel it.

People will probably hate these sauces, because they are too used to the foods on the shelves. Too much sugar, too much salt, too much fat, too unhealthy. You're losing your sense of taste. Get used to lighter and healthier foods, no preserving agents, and eat as close as possible to the source.