So I Decided to Make Refined Sugar Free Coconut Milk Caramels...

Sometimes I get a little obsessive: I get an idea and I can't shake it until I see it through. On Sunday, the hubby, our daughter and I went to the Mill Valley Arts Festival and stopped by the Mill Valley Market to grab something to drink. While in the check out, a colorful bag of candy caught my eye. In bright white letters on a baby blue background, it read "Coconut Milk Caramels." Unable to contain my excitement I yelled "oh sh*t!" at the top of my lungs, frightening my husband and several old ladies standing in line. I didn't intend to be so vulgar, but these are COCONUT MILK CARAMELS we are talking about here and I haven't had a caramel in almost a decade! I turned the bag over to glance at the ingredients and was disappointed to see that they were made with brown rice syrup and so untouchable for the new, grain free me. But that didn't stop me from fantasizing about how I'm going to come up with the most amazing grain free and refined sugar free coconut milk caramels recipe.

So at 10pm, I decided it would a superb idea to try making caramels for the first time ever. Needless to say, by 10:30 the stove was covered in caramel sauce and I was ferouciously scraping off burned and blackened sugar off the burners. Luckily, the hubby was already asleep because had he been awake, I would have been throughly scolded for my impulsiveness. And so, I'm not sure if I actually made caramels, but I did make a tasty caramel sauce, which I can use for dipping apples. I'll try refridgerating it overnight and seeing if it hardens. It it turns out, I'll post the recipe. But lesson learned: do not attempt to make caramels at 10pm after a long hard day at work, especially if you've never made candy before.

But there is some good news, I did manage to make a tasty soup prior to delving into the candy making debacle. When I did the CAN CAN Cleanse last week, I ate/drank the most amazing soup for lunch. CAN CAN Cleanse's, Teresa Piro created a really delicious and satisfying lunch and I really wanted to make it at home. After one failed attempt to recreate the recipe, I decided to shoot Teresa and email. She was so kind to share her recipe with me and so I am sharing it with you.

CAN CAN Cleanse's Zucchini Basil Soup
Ingredients:
3 medium Zucchini
1 stalk Celery
1 Leek (white only)
1/4 Onion
2 sprigs Basil
1 tsp Sea Salt and more to season as you like
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 cups Filtered Water

Process:
1. Cut zucchini in half length wise and drizzle with olive oil and a large pinch of salt and place on baking sheet on unbleached parchment paper

2. On another baking sheet, place leek, celery, and onion and also drizzle with oil, salt, and cayenne pepper

3. Roast for 45 minutes at 325 degrees

4. Remove all ingredients and blend in a Vitamix or a blender with water to get desired consistency

5. Serve with a little coconut milk and dash of cayenne

6. Enjoy!