- 4 large-ish (or three jumbo) zucchini
- 4 tbsp kerrygold butter*
- 1¼ cups granular Bochasweet**
- 2 tsp apple pie spice
- strained juice of 1 large lemon (about 4 tbsp)
- pinch of sea salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- your choice of thickeners***

Prep the zucchini by peeling them, then cut off the ends and cut in half lengthwise. Using a small melon baller or spoon, scoop out the central seedy part, leaving only the firm flesh (as though you're making zucchini boats). Slice crosswise into ½" wide pieces (like from port to starboard, to stick with the boat analogy).

Melt the butter in a 6 qt stock pot, then add the zucchini and remaining ingredients except your thickener. Simmer/saute for about 5-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender and starting to look slightly translucent. Add your preferred thickener to the sauce, and serve warm. (Also great over keto vanilla ice cream!)

* Kerrygold butter has a higher fat content and stronger butter flavor than standard American stick butters. You want that here. I promise.

**Yes, Bochasweet is expensive. I know. It also doesn't give you a cooling or bitter aftertaste like sugar alcohols and stevia, nor does it recrystallize when your sauce cools. If you plan to substitute for other sweeteners that include erythritol, I'd suggest using a mix of at least two different kinds (and less than 50% sugar alcohols) so your sauce doesn't harden up when chilled.

*** Xanthan gum always seems makes sauces slimy to my palate, so generally speaking, I prefer to use glucomannan or gelatin; neither is excellent here. Guar gum makes for *somewhat* less snotty results, but still isn't really ideal, either. Coconut flour absorbs moisture really well, but doesn't really turn anything into a sauce, and it can be grainy. So look, we both know it's not a keto ingredient, but honestly, dissolving 1½ tsp of cornstarch into the lemon juice before you stir it into the cooking liquid only adds 4½ grams of net carbs to the whole pot - that's less than 1 gram per serving - and you get an honest-to-goodness silky sauce, just like real stewed apples. If you can handle this very limited amount of cornstarch, do that. If you can't, then use the strictly keto thickener of your choice, and your results may vary.