A Calculated Whisk

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You are here: Home / Archives for dairy free

Banana Blueberry Muffins

August 14, 2013 By Becky 5 Comments

Banana Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-free, Paleo) | acalculatedwhisk.com
I have been on a quest to make delicious paleo & gluten-free muffins, because I can’t have eggs for breakfast every single day.  This is the third time I’ve tried, and I finally have what I want: a moist, sweet muffin with a beautiful domed top that is bursting with blueberries in every bite.  Best of all, these muffins taste like the real thing, not a gluten-free imitation.

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Filed Under: breakfast, gluten free, paleo, vegetarian Tagged With: almond, almond flour, baking, banana, blueberry, dairy free, muffins, tapioca starch

Indochinese Chilli Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice

August 13, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

I LOVE Indian food.  Luckily for me, my mom’s apartment is just blocks from Singh’s Cafe, which has a fabulous lunch buffet every day of the week.  I go more than anyone should go anywhere, but I just love it so much.  One of the best parts of going to lunch buffet is that there is no waiting: you show up, you sit down (or not), and you go get your food!  I also love it because you can try some of everything.

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Filed Under: dinner, gluten free, paleo, recipe, whole30 Tagged With: cauliflower, chicken, chillies, chinese, dairy free, fried rice, Indian, low carb, spicy

Make Your Own Almond Milk

August 12, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

Here’s how to make your own almond milk at home. It’s paleo, vegan, and easy to make–and the results are way more delicious than store-bought versions!

Do you drink coffee?  How do you take yours?  Have you ever had to switch the way you make your morning coffee?
One of the hardest parts about the whole30 for me has been adjusting what I put in my coffee.  I used to put lots of 2% milk and a little agave or stevia, plus sometimes a few drops of vanilla.  It wasn’t that hard eliminating the sweetener, because I love the simple synergy of milk and coffee.  Since I also love coconut milk, I thought that might be a great choice for my morning cup.  But coconut milk is terrible in coffee.  It’s too thick.  Even light coconut milk in a carton is too thick (and has icky things like carageenan added to it).  Coffee shouldn’t be viscous, so coconut milk is out.

The next thing I tried was almond milk.  It’s hard to find unsweetened almond milk without too many additives, but the Whole Foods brand wasn’t too bad.  And when I put that almond milk in my coffee, it was fine.  I had to put a lot more almond milk than regular milk, because you can pour in a lot of almond milk before your coffee stops looking (and tasting) totally black.  Anyway, coffee with store-bought almond milk is okay, but I figured I could do better.

This homemade almond milk is easy, and you can add a little whole30-friendly sweetness by putting in a few dried apricots (or dates).  The ingredients list is short and wholesome, and the result is much more delicious than what you find at the store.  Creamy and subtly sweet, this homemade almond milk is by far the best nondairy milk I’ve found to go with my morning coffee.  Of course, it’s also great on its own or blended into smoothies.

This recipe makes lightly sweetened vanilla almond milk; just omit the vanilla and dried fruit if you would like to make plain almond milk.

Ingredients (makes about 2 and 1/2 cups; adapted from Choosing Raw):

1 cup raw almonds
Water for soaking
3 cups water
Pinch of salt
2-4 dried apricots or dates, pitted and soaked in hot water (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, omit for Whole30)

Equipment:

Cheesecloth or a nut milk bag

Soak the almonds in water to cover for at least two hours, or up to eight.  Drain and rinse the almonds and discard the soaking water.  Place the almonds, 3 cups of water, salt, apricots or dates, and vanilla in a blender.  Blend on high speed for a minute or so until smooth.

Line a sieve with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl, or place a nut milk bag over a large jar, securing it with a rubber band.  Pour the almond milk into the sieve or nut milk bag.  Allow it to drain for up to an hour (or if you are impatient like me, squeeze the cheesecloth or bag to remove as much liquid as possible).  Discard pulp, or save to use in smoothies.  Store almond milk in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, and shake before using.

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase on Amazon after clicking one of my links, I receive a small commission (the price you pay is not affected).  Thank you so much for supporting my site!

Filed Under: drinks, gluten free, paleo, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, whole30 Tagged With: almond, almond milk, dairy free, five ingredients or less, make your own, no-cook, pantry essentials

Spicy Cocoa Chili

August 11, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

If you are going to eat paleo, you are going to need a lot of protein in your fridge.  Otherwise, you will be constantly cranky.

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Filed Under: dinner, gluten free, paleo, recipe, uncategorized Tagged With: beef, chili, cocoa, dairy free, garlic, low carb, onions, soup, spicy

Cherry (Chocolate) Almond No-Churn Ice Cream

August 10, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

I am SO excited about this post.  This ice cream is ridiculously good, ridiculously healthy, and ridiculously simple, and I have made it three times since I invented it two days ago.  There are five ingredients, and you don’t need an ice cream maker.  There are also NO sweeteners.  This is the stuff dreams are made of.  Well, my kind-of cheating whole30 dreams, at least.

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Filed Under: gluten free, paleo, recipe, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: almond, almond butter, cherry, chocolate, cocoa, coconut milk, dairy free, five ingredients or less

Shrimp & Zoodles with Garlic Tomato Sauce

August 6, 2013 By Becky 8 Comments

Have you ever made zoodles?  If you get yourself a julienne peeler, you can be making zucchini into low-carb noodle stand-ins in no time.  It’s actually really good.  You may not be able to fool people into thinking they are eating actual spaghetti, but I don’t think anyone will be complaining.

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Filed Under: dinner, gluten free, paleo, recipe, uncategorized Tagged With: basil, dairy free, garlic, italian, low carb, shrimp, tomato sauce, zoodles, zucchini

Mocha Marinated Steak with Peach Salsa and Cauliflower Mash

August 5, 2013 By Becky 17 Comments

If you haven’t stopped by since last month’s chocolate party, you’ll notice that things have changed some since the days of double malt ice cream sandwiches.  A Calculated Whisk is going paleo! I’m doing a Whole30, and the blog is doing it with me.  So for the rest of August, you’ll find more healthy recipes with fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, and seafood, but no grains, sugar, sweeteners, legumes, soy, milk, or processed food.  Desserts (at least paleo ones, which can still be impressively delicious!) will return in the fall.

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Filed Under: dinner, gluten free, paleo, recipe, whole30 Tagged With: cauliflower, chocolate party, cilantro, cocoa, coffee, dairy free, lime, low carb, mocha, onions, peach, salsa, steak

10 Delicious Recipes Paleoified

July 25, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

I am going strong on the fourth day of my Whole30!  I’ve been taking a look at my recipe index, trying to find more recipes I can tweak to make them paleo.  I like variety, and it can’t ALL be about almond flour pancakes and zucchini noodles.  The more dishes I have in my paleo arsenal, the more likely I am to successfully stay full and on track.

This weekend is going to be a big challenge, because I’m heading down to Austin for my cousin’s wedding.  It’s going to be really hard to say no to tacos and wedding cake!  I’m thinking about relaxing my standards a TINY bit while I’m there…nothing too crazy, but maybe a little barbecue sauce.  Do you guys know any great Austin restaurants where I might be able to get great food without straying too far from my paleo intentions?  If you do, leave me a comment!  I’ll take some pictures while I’m out and about and share with you when I get back.

So, without further ado, here are ten recipes from my index along with easy ways to make sure they’re paleo.

1.  Gambas al ajillo–this recipe is ALREADY paleo!  It would be great over zucchini noodles.

2.  Baked Eggs with Chives–omit the parmesan and use coconut milk instead of the cream (or just leave that out).  This would be great with some more herbs added in, too.  If you haven’t tried baked eggs, get on it!

3.  Berry Coconut Smoothie–leave out the protein powder, or use a paleo version (I just discovered this site and haven’t tried their products, but it looks interesting!).

4.  Chocolate Mousse–sweeten with honey to taste instead of sugar.  If you haven’t tried this, check it out–there is a secret ingredient and it’s SO easy and decadent!

 

5.  Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Creamy Rutabaga–use coconut milk instead of the milk or cream.
6.  Vietnamese Pork & Vermicelli Bowl–omit the sugar and vermicelli (add more veggies if you like), use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and cook the scallions in coconut oil instead of canola oil.
7.  Garlic Honey Grilled Shrimp–already paleo!
8.  Spring Salad with Citrusy Shallot Vinaigrette–already paleo.  It would be great with some of the garlic honey grilled shrimp on top!
9.  Jerk Chicken with Avocado & Papaya Salad–omit the sugar from the jerk seasoning.
10.  Coconut Frappuccino–sweeten with honey instead of agave nectar.
If you have any links to paleo recipes you love, leave them in the comments!

Filed Under: gluten free, paleo, uncategorized Tagged With: dairy free, healthy, low carb, recipe roundup

Sesame Lime Steak, Zucchini, & Avocado Salad

July 24, 2013 By Becky 1 Comment

After all those pancakes, I was ready for some meat.  I cooked this steak on my George Foreman grill which, I’m ashamed to admit, had been riding in the trunk of my car ever since I moved back up from Houston two years ago.  No worse for the wear, the grill worked fine when I finally brought it inside today.  You can also cook your steak on a real grill or stovetop in a grill pan or heavy skillet.
This salad is my first attempt at using zucchini as noodles.  I think in this recipe it really works.  You aren’t tricked into thinking you’re eating real noodles, but the long, thin noodle shape is the perfect vehicle for the sauce, and the raw zucchini still has a little bit of a crunch to it.
Another ingredient note: this recipe calls for coconut aminos, which are a paleo replacement for soy sauce.  In my opinion, the flavor is very similar.  You won’t taste any coconut here.  If you’re looking for coconut aminos, I found mine at Whole Foods.  You can also just substitute soy sauce if you’re not avoiding soy.

Ingredients (serves 2):

For the steak:

2/3 pound thin sliced top round steak (or another thin cut)
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red chili paste
Juice of half a lime

For the salad:

2 zucchini, cut or peeled into thin, noodle-like matchsticks
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon almond butter
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon apple juice
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Lime wedges

To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and toss with the steak to coat.  Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to two hours.  If you marinate in the refrigerator, take the meat out 30 minutes before you plan to cook it to let it come to room temperature.

Heat a George Foreman grill or a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the steak to your desired doneness.  Set steaks aside on a plate, covered.

In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and apple juice to make a smooth sauce.  Toss the zucchini to coat it with the sauce, and divide the zucchini between two plates.  Slice the steak into strips and place it on top of the zucchini.  Top the steak with the avocado slices and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.  Serve warm or chilled with lime wedges.

 

Filed Under: gluten free, paleo, recipe, uncategorized Tagged With: Asian, avocado, dairy free, healthy, lime, low carb, salad, sesame, steak, zucchini

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

July 23, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

The almond flour pancakes I made a few days ago were so good that I was eager to try another version of paleo pancakes.  This time, I was inspired by a cinnamon banana pancake recipe in Easy Paleo Diet Recipes, and added a twist to make them even better.

Do you have a favorite diner?  Mine is the Maugus, which is just down the street from my mom’s apartment in my hometown.  It’s run by a big Greek family, and the hardest part of being a regular there is when they close for three weeks every summer to go to Greece.  They are closed right now and I have to tell you, it has been rough.  One of my favorite things to get there is pancakes–their pancakes are HUGE!  I’m a big fan of both the strawberry and the banana pancakes.  They have nice rounds of freshly sliced fruit cooked right in.  They will even make you pancakes with both strawberries AND bananas if you can’t decide.  And, if you are not into fruity pancakes (who are you and why are you still reading?) you can get chocolate chip pancakes or cinnamon walnut french toast.

Anyway, inspired by the Maugus, I put sliced strawberries into these banana pancakes.  The banana is mashed up with the batter so the pancakes do not have a strong banana flavor, but they are pleasantly reminiscent of banana bread.  And if you have never tried sliced strawberries in your pancakes, you HAVE to.  They are cooked just to the point of being fabulously juicy, and it is much more exciting than just putting sliced strawberries on top of your pancakes.  Trust me.

Since I am doing the Whole 30 for real now, I omitted the honey from the original recipe.  However, with the bananas and the strawberries, I thought these pancakes were sweet enough.  I ate mine with the extra banana and strawberry slices on top and a little butter, and my boyfriend enjoyed his with some syrup.

Ingredients (serves 2; makes 6-7 pancakes):

1 and 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup mashed banana (about half a medium banana–slice the rest to serve with the pancakes)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut milk
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, thinly sliced, plus extra for serving
Butter or coconut oil for cooking

Combine all the ingredients except the strawberries in a food processor and process until smooth.  Heat some oil or butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat.  When the skillet is hot (a drop of water will dance across the surface), add about 1/4 cup of batter.  Place some strawberry slices on top.  Cook until many bubbles have formed on the surface (the bottom should be browned).  Carefully slide a large spatula under the pancake and flip it quickly.  If you flip these pancakes too soon or use a small spatula, you may lose some of your strawberries during the turn.  Cook for a minute or less on the second side, until browned and cooked through.  Add more oil or butter before cooking a second pancake.  Top with fresh fruit and butter if desired and serve hot.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Filed Under: breakfast, gluten free, paleo, recipe, uncategorized Tagged With: almond flour, banana, dairy free, pancakes, strawberry

Asparagus Bundles with Bacon & Poached Eggs

July 22, 2013 By Becky 1 Comment

 

Can you think of a non-dessert ingredient that isn’t better wrapped in bacon?  It’s hard, right?  Ever since making these shrimp, I have been wanting to wrap all things in bacon.  Here is a great way to start.

This recipe is paleo, and dairy and gluten-free.  It’s got a lot of asparagus and some good protein, so I’m calling it healthy.  Besides, it’s beautiful, delicious, and easy.  The hardest part is waiting for it to roast.

You can make this without the eggs for an elegant side dish that would go well with a steak or almost any dinner I can think of.  This would also be great for a weekend brunch, and I just enjoyed it immensely for my Monday lunch.  Try it!  It looks fancy, and everyone you feed it to will love you for wrapping their veggies up in bacon.

Ingredients (serves 4; adapted from How Sweet It Is):

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
4 eggs, poached or fried (I use these adorable poach pods)
Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.  In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, coconut oil, and sesame oil.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and place a rack on top.  Divide the asparagus spears into four equal bundles, and wrap each one with a piece of bacon.  Place the bundles on the rack with the ends of the bacon underneath so it stays put.

Brush the garlic and oil mixture over the bundles, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.  Top with the eggs, sprinkle with a little salt, and serve.

 

 

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Filed Under: breakfast, gluten free, paleo, recipe, whole30 Tagged With: asparagus, bacon, dairy free, eggs, low carb, sesame

Paleo Poached Eggs with Creamy Spinach

July 18, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

 

Okay, big news. A Calculated Whisk is going paleo for one month. There. I said it. Now if I go and try to post some kind of insane ice cream cupcake cookie sandwich, you guys will call me out on it. Right?

Nobody tells you this, but the ugly downside of starting a food blog is you EAT so much of the delicious food you make that your figure kind of falls by the wayside. I love desserts, obviously, but you can only have so much. It’s time for a change. In the past I’ve lost a lot of weight following the Zone diet, but this time I wanted to try something different.

I’ve been hearing so much about paleo, and it makes sense to me that eating the foods we evolved eating would be the healthiest way to go. I checked out this website for the Whole 30, and thought I would give it a try. I got The 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking: Entire Month of Paleo Meals, and I’m ready to go. The book is great, but I always think it’s more fun to create my own recipes. So, here it is! My first paleo breakfast. It tastes great, and I didn’t feel like anything was missing since it’s so filling, rich, and creamy.

Oh, and by the way! I’m on an exercise program, too. I’ve started barre3‘s 28 to Great. That’s six days of workouts a week (they have an awesome online library of 10, 30, 40, and 60 minute videos) for four weeks. I’ve done two workouts so far, and they are exhausting. It’s really targeted muscle work and I can tell it’s going to have an impact.

 
 
Phew.  This is a lot of changes, but I hope you guys will support me and try some of the recipes.  Let’s start with the most important meal of the day.
 
Ingredients (serves one):
 
2 teaspoons coconut oil, plus extra
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby spinach (or more!)
2 teaspoons coconut milk or cream
Salt and pepper to taste
 
In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium low heat.  Add the garlic and saute until it starts to brown.  Turn the heat up to medium high, add the spinach, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the spinach, tossing frequently, until just wilted, 3-5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk or cream.
 
Meanwhile, poach your eggs.  See this post about how to do it on Smitten Kitchen, or use an egg poacher.  I greased the cups of my egg poacher with a little bit of coconut oil.
 
When the spinach is ready, make it into a nest on your plate.  Slide the finished eggs into the nest, sprinkle with more salt if desired, and serve hot.
 

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Filed Under: breakfast, paleo, recipe, vegetarian, whole30 Tagged With: coconut, dairy free, eggs, five ingredients or less, healthy, low carb, spinach

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