vegetarian Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Cashew Hot Chocolate

December 12, 2019 By Becky 4 Comments

This creamy cashew hot chocolate is packed with superfoods and easy to make with pantry staples. It’s also infinitely adaptable, with dairy free and vegan versions plus flavor variations. Thank you to Rodelle for providing products for use in this post!

I recently gave up coffee again, which has been rough. (If you read my blog frequently, you might remember that I gave up coffee while trying to conceive–I’m doing it again to prepare for possibly trying for a second baby at some point!) Golden milk was my caffeine-free hot beverage of choice then, and I still love it, but this cashew hot chocolate is my current favorite. It’s quick, simple, tasty, and filling–everything I need to start my day off well.

Grilled Vegetables with Jalapeño Aioli

September 16, 2019 By Becky 2 Comments

These grilled vegetables with jalapeño aioli are a great way to make the most of the last few weeks of grilling season! Zucchini, okra, mini peppers, and red onion wedges grill up quickly and are irresistible dipped in the creamy and spicy aioli.

Here in the South, the highs continue to sneak into the nineties most days and the markets are still packed with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and okra. So while fall may technically be looming on the horizon, I am not ready to give up grilling anytime soon.

All summer long I’ve been firing up my grill and filling it with local veggies, sometimes adding some sausage or chicken as well, and calling it dinner. Nobody has complained, but I recently decided the one thing a platter of grilled vegetables really begs for is a flavorful sauce for dipping. The grilled vegetables almost seem like extra flavorful and colorful French fries once you add a nice aioli to dunk them into.

Instant Pot Tomato Sauce (made with fresh tomatoes)

September 9, 2019 By Becky 2 Comments

Instant Pot Tomato Sauce (made with fresh tomatoes)

This simple and luxurious Instant Pot tomato sauce is inspired by Marcella Hazan’s classic recipe, but takes advantage of fresh summer tomatoes from your garden or CSA.

Something about September makes me want to bust out the Instant Pot for almost every meal! All summer long I only used it for rice (it makes the most PERFECT rice!), but now that it’s fall I’m ready to make all manner of sauces, soups, stews, and braises.

Cantaloupe, Corn, and Zucchini Salad with Lemony Pesto

August 5, 2019 By Becky 2 Comments

This cantaloupe, corn, and zucchini salad with lemony pesto is a perfect no-cook recipe for hot summer nights. It’s vegan, gluten free, and dairy free.

What’s fresh, fast, raw, and super delicious?

Cantaloupe, corn, and zucchini salad with lemony pesto, that’s what!

Cherry Pico de Gallo

July 2, 2019 By Becky 3 Comments

This cherry pico de gallo is an easy, sweet twist on your favorite fresh salsa. It’s great with chips or on top of grilled meats!

Cherry season! It’s my favorite time of the year. This is your moment to make this simple cherry pico de gallo, which goes well with pretty much everything and will disappear faster than anything else at your Fourth of July cookout.

Easy Grain-free Skillet Cookie

September 8, 2018 By Becky 14 Comments

Easy Grain-free Skillet Cookie

This gooey grain-free skillet cookie is super easy to mix up right in the pan–no bowl required! What are you waiting for?

Something about September makes me crave chocolate chip cookies. It still feels a bit early for apples and pumpkins, but something warm and sweet and chocolatey sounds about right. If you feel the same way, this easy grain-free skillet cookie will be just the ticket.

The best thing about this skillet cookie, other than how wonderful it tastes (especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top), is how simple it is to make. You don’t even need a bowl–we’re doing everything right in the skillet, with one spatula or mixing implement of your choice.

Peach Nectar

August 20, 2018 By Becky Leave a Comment

This peach nectar recipe is an easy and delicious way to sip on summer’s best peaches. If it’s a special occasion, add some prosecco and make it a bellini!

Here it is: the essence of summer peaches in drinkable form! This peach nectar is so simple to make and so, so good. Basically we’re blending fresh peaches with a little bit of lemon and honey to balance their flavors, plus a hint of salt and vanilla to round things out. I was going to call this a peach agua fresca, but it’s thicker than that and almost creamy (in the most delicious way possible).

Caprese Frittata

July 2, 2018 By Becky 4 Comments

This caprese frittata is a fast and delicious way to showcase summer’s bounty. It’s just as welcome for dinner as for breakfast!

My theme this week is caprese everything. These delicious tomatoes and basil from Big Sycamore Farm were just begging to be paired up with some fresh mozzarella and turned into all sorts of caprese things. The other night I made a classic caprese salad, then last night I made caprese sandwiches that were devoured before they could be photographed. And this morning I woke up with a hankering for a caprese frittata.

Plantain Chip Migas

April 9, 2018 By Becky 18 Comments

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

Plantain chips are a wonderful alternative to corn tortilla chips in this easy and flavorful Mexican breakfast. And since migas are super fast to make, they’re perfect for busy mornings!

Growing up, I was obsessed with going to Mexico. It seemed so exotic and relatively close, if not to our home outside Boston then to Austin, where my mother and I went at least once a year to visit her side of the family. I had a big, dry-mounted map of the world on the wall right next to my bunk bed, and I’d stare at it every night, brainstorming a list of everywhere I wanted to go. Mexico was at the very top.

Every time we went to Texas, I would beg my mom to take me to across the border. The fact that it was less than a five-hour drive from Austin to another country seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. I just wanted to eat some delicious food, poke around a little, try out some of the Spanish I’d been learning, and then we could drive right back up.

Sheet Pan Baked Eggs with Sweet Potatoes, Kale, & Cilantro-Pepita Pesto

January 29, 2018 By Becky 14 Comments

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

These sheet pan baked eggs with sweet potatoes, kale, and cilantro-pepita pesto are packed with flavor and nutrition, but free of gluten, grains, dairy, and nuts!

Hello, happy Monday, and welcome to breakfast week! It’s nothing formal, but I have several scrumptious breakfast ideas coming up that I’m so excited to share with you, starting with these sheet pan baked eggs with sweet potatoes, kale, and cilantro-pepita pesto. This recipe is something I make versions of for myself all the time for quick breakfasts and lunches, because the combination of roasted sweet potatoes, crispy kale, and runny yolks is pretty much irresistible.

Dairy-Free Slow-Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Dip

January 26, 2018 By Becky 12 Comments

This post is sponsored by Cost Plus World Market.

This dairy-free slow-cooker spinach and artichoke dip is a snap to make and perfect to snack on while watching the big game. It’s also totally acceptable and delicious as a lunch!

Who’s excited to watch some football (read: eat some snacks)? My husband is a big football fan and I love a good snack, so we are both pretty pumped. This slow-cooker spinach and artichoke dip will totally be on the menu on game day, but if you’re not a football fan, I think it’d also be a great recipe to whip up to show your valentine how much you love them.

Bok Choy Salad with Apple and Persimmon

November 14, 2017 By Becky 6 Comments

This vegan and paleo bok choy salad with apple and persimmon is healthy enough for a detox but beautiful and tasty enough for your Thanksgiving table!

Is anyone else in need of something delicious and fresh, but still kind of festive? I’ve got you covered with this bok choy salad with apple and persimmon. Amidst all the pie and stuffing and mashed potatoes and even a few early cookies, I am fairly sure that we all could use something like this.

If you’re surprised that bok choy can be eaten raw in a salad, you are not alone. I just learned this recently myself. A couple weeks before our wedding I decided to do Alisa Vitti’s four-day detox, and this bok choy salad is based on a very simple one that she shares as part of the cleanse. I was initially quite suspicious that a combination of raw bok choy, onion, and apple could ever taste good, but since I get bok choy all the time in my CSA and it cooks down to almost nothing in a stir fry, I decided to give the salad a try.