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Vegan Caramel

Can you really make a delicious vegan caramel without dairy? Well, of course you can! Read on to find out more.

Vegan Caramel

Firstly, a little life update – scroll down to get straight to the recipe.

People, I cannot believe it’s been months since my last blogpost. Between getting ready for the baby and organising things at work, I was left with very little time (and energy) to do anything else. I figured that I would have a ton of time during my maternity leave to catch up on things (doesn’t baby sleep all the time?). But as it turns out, while it is true that baby sleeps a lot, baby also feeds nonstop, pees like a drunken teenager, and cries in between sleeping and peeing. And baby’s preferred bed to sleep is – on mummy’s chest.

Today my baby is one month old. One month down, hundreds more to go. She’s slowly getting used to being a human and I’m slowly getting used to being a mum – nothing can ever prepare you for both. I’m acclimatising to the new routine and the inevitable sleep deprivation and now I’m able to squeeze in a bit of creative work in between feeding and changing nappies. Life as a new mother is hard – I don’t get much sleep, I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands from breastfeeding and my shoulder is sore all the time from carrying the baby around. That aside, I am doing well, and the baby is growing like a champ. Enough about me, it’s time to make some caramel.

Vegan Caramel

What I love about this recipe

Just five ingredients and minimal cooking effort for a sweet reward. What’s not to love? This recipe is coconut heavy so if you’re not a fan of coconut then it might not be for you. However, once cooked I find that it tastes less coconutty and more caramelly, so don’t dismiss it too quickly, you might still be pleasantly surprised.

It’s dairy-free and it tastes legitimately like caramel. The fleur de sel adds that extra depth of flavour but if you don’t have it, you can replace it with good quality sea salt. Texture-wise it is not a sticky caramel but a creamy one.

Make it, spread it, drizzle it, spoon it. This is what love tastes like.

Vegan Caramel

Vegan caramel

Delicious, rich and creamy dairy-free caramel

  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp fleur de sel (optional – can be replaced with sea salt)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Add all ingredients into a saucepan
  2. Bring to boil on medium heat then reduce the heat to low simmer for 30 min, stirring every 10 min
  3. Watch for the next 10 min while it thickens and turn dark brown, stirring frequently.
  4. The caramel is ready when it covers the back of a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and let cool before serving.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks.

P.S. If you make this, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or find me on Instagram or Facebook. Don’t forget to tag me @passionatelykeren so I won’t miss your post.

Keren x

 

Simple Acai Berry Smoothie

Here’s another ‘superfood’ with which you should get acquainted. Açaí (ahh-sigh-ee) is a berry harvested from palm trees found in Brazil and Peru in Central and South America. It has become really popular due to its varied health benefits, as it is high in antioxidants, minerals, healthy fats, and vitamins.

 

Açaí berries come in several forms such as dehydrated in capsules, in frozen pulp, or as freeze-dried powder. I have only used the freeze-dried powders but I’m keen to try the frozen pulp form as it has a stronger taste, texture, and higher nutritional content. Though the freeze-dried form is very convenient to have laying around as you can add it to juice, smoothies, porridges, desserts, and pretty much anything which takes berries, to instantly boost the nutritional content of your meal.

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