Canned cranberry sauce is close to half added sugar — a quarter-cup scoop can carry 20 to 25 grams of fast carbohydrate with almost no fiber to slow it down. Whole cranberries are genuinely tart and low in sugar on their own. This version gets its sweetness from a grated apple and a few chopped dates, both of which bring fiber and potassium along with their sugar, and the berries' own pectin sets the sauce so no thickener is needed. Portion is still the lever: two tablespoons, not a half cup.

1. Rinse 12 oz fresh cranberries and pick out any soft ones. 2. Combine in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water, 1 small apple grated (skin on), 3 pitted dates chopped fine, the zest of 1 orange, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. 3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then lower to medium-low. 4. Cook 10-12 min, stirring occasionally, until most berries have burst and the sauce coats a spoon. 5. Off the heat, stir in 1 tsp fresh orange juice and mash lightly with the back of a spoon for texture. 6. Cool completely — it thickens as it sits — then refrigerate at least 2 hours. 7. Serve 2 tbsp per person. 8. Keeps 1 week refrigerated, and freezes well.

No added sugar, no sugar substitutes, no canned sauce. Sweetness comes from whole fruit. The listed nutrition is approximate; a level tablespoon measure keeps it predictable.