vegan 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.

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 4 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.

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.

Pitaya Peach Smoothie

September 21, 2017 By Becky 16 Comments

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

This pitaya peach smoothie has quickly become my go-to power breakfast because it’s easy, healthy, gorgeous, and delicious. What more can you ask for in the morning?

Thank you to Rodelle for providing products for use in this post!

Big news: Ben and I are married! We started dating almost six years ago, before the idea of starting a food blog had even crossed my mind, got engaged almost three years ago, and tied the knot on Saturday. I’m so happy and in a way amazed that we are finally married, mostly because we’re not the best at planning big events. However, we somehow pulled it off (with a huge amount of help from our families and especially my mother, who put together all the little decorative elements and details into something better than I’d ever imagined) and are so thrilled to be husband and wife. Also, Ben’s sister and her husband threw us an outdoor rehearsal dinner that was so fun I worried the wedding itself couldn’t top it, complete with a gorgeously decorated tent in their driveway and a late-night fire pit. I could go on and on about our wedding weekend, but should probably save it for a separate post since I also have lots to say about these smoothies. If you’re interested, though, here are a couple of photos from our first look shot by my dear friend, bridesmaid, and photographer extraordinaire Lindsey Lowe.

So, smoothie time! I have been making smoothies all spring and summer long, and this pitaya peach smoothie is my very favorite. I shot a cookbook written by someone else this summer (more details coming!) for the first time, and had 60 photos due just over two weeks before my wedding date. As if photographing a cookbook and planning a wedding wasn’t enough, I also continued to work 30 hours a week as a speech therapist and took on several other freelance projects. To say I didn’t have time to cook breakfast would be an understatement. This is such an easy breakfast, especially if you use an immersion blender like I do–you can make your smoothie in a big jar and drink it from there, too!

Roasted Beets & Sweet Potatoes

June 5, 2017 By Becky 4 Comments

These roasted beets and sweet potatoes are a paleo and vegan-friendly side dish that goes well with almost anything.

I know–it’s June, and I’m suggesting cranking up the oven to roast some vegetables. It may not be the most summer-friendly cooking method, but to me it’s worth it. Beets just started appearing at local farmers markets and in my CSA box, and my favorite way to enjoy them is roasted alongside the last of fall’s sweet potatoes (or perhaps the first of summer’s crop!).

To make this dish extra colorful, I opted for a mix of orange and purple sweet potatoes and chioggia beets, which are striped inside and won’t stain your hands nearly as much as regular beets. The sweet potatoes end up tender inside and satisfyingly crispy along the edges.

The beets don’t crisp up, but their earthy, springy flavor is a great counterpoint to the sweet potatoes. A little thyme adds herbal freshness and savory notes, but can be omitted if you don’t have any on hand.

Paleo Potato Hummus with Crudités

March 20, 2017 By Becky 42 Comments

This paleo potato hummus is smooth, flavorful, and ideal for spring get-togethers. No one will guess it’s made with potatoes! This post is sponsored by Potatoes USA.

If you’re looking for a paleo alternative to traditional hummus, I have a treat for you today! This legume-free hummus comes together in just half an hour and is made with Yukon Gold potatoes. The flavor and texture are so similar to regular hummus, though, that no one will be the wiser. Alongside a platter of vibrant crudités, this super-smooth hummus is sure to be a hit at your next party.

I made this paleo potato hummus for a family gathering a couple of weeks ago and told everyone that it was hummus with a bit of a twist. It was quickly devoured, and no one guessed that potatoes were involved. As someone who doesn’t feel well after eating legumes like chickpeas, I’m thrilled to have discovered this crowd-pleasing, bean-free version of hummus. With olive oil drizzled on top and a sprinkle of paprika, it’s the perfect counterpart to a spread of spring’s freshest veggies.

Cardamom Coffee Fudgesicles

July 25, 2016 By Becky 19 Comments

These cardamom coffee fudgesicles are like the perfect iced mocha in creamy popsicle form. The cardamom gives them a uniquely enticing flavor.

I finally got a popsicle mold! I’ve been trying to avoid single-use kitchen gadgets, but I just couldn’t help myself. Since getting the mold about a month ago, I think I’ve made these cardamom coffee fudgesicles five times. I had to make sure the recipe made just the right number of popsicles and had just the right amount of cardamom. Also, they kept getting eaten before I could get them photographed!

By the way, photographing popsicles in the summer is not easy! I didn’t plan ahead, so we didn’t have any ice made to set up a cold plate like this. I decided I’d just go for it and be super quick, but the pops were melting even faster than I expected.

I freaked out a little because I didn’t want to lose all five of the ones I was snapping pictures of, so I stuck four of them back in the freezer and left one out to photograph.

No-Churn Cherry Ice Cream

July 16, 2016 By Becky 11 Comments

This no-churn cherry ice cream is simple, ridiculously easy, and so good! What more could you ask for from a summer dessert? With a dairy-free option that’s vegan and paleo with no added sugar, everyone can indulge.

How do you feel about the dog days of summer? I may be alone in this, but I like them. I find extreme heat kind of comforting. I like how the air is almost palpable when the temperatures get high, as if it’s a blanket wrapped around you providing a bit of pressure. I made it through two Houston summers with no AC in my car (I still miss that ’89 Buick!) and now I’m relishing my first full hot summer here in the Tennessee Valley.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t also like to indulge in frozen treats when it’s hot out. We’re still living in a very small house, so my beloved ice cream maker is in storage. That means I’ve been turning to my favorite no-churn frozen treats time and time again, and this no-churn cherry ice cream is the one I make the most.

It’s unbelievably simple, and it tastes so good. I actually first made and shared this several years ago, but it was buried in the archives with terrible photos, so I know many of you never got to see it.

I took some time off from this ice cream because I always loved it so much made with coconut milk, and about a year ago I discovered that I’m allergic to coconut. However, recently I’ve been making this ice cream with heavy cream, and while it’s much less paleo it is still delicious. It’s hard to do a true comparison since I can’t taste the two versions side by side, but I think the coconut milk version is even a little better. Go for that unless you’re coconut averse or allergic like me! As a bonus, that means the ice cream is vegan as long as you don’t add any honey.

Mocha Cream Paleo Truffles

May 10, 2016 By Becky 20 Comments

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

Mocha cream paleo truffles are an ideal no-bake dessert for the warmer months. And since they’re vegan, too, more of your friends can enjoy them!

I’ve been sick for the past few days and haven’t been able to stomach much other than these paleo truffles. I think it’s because I’ve been eating them frozen and they’re made with such wholesome ingredients–no dairy or anything like that to throw a wrench into things. My appetite has been really low and I haven’t even craved my morning coffee like I usually do, but a couple of these chilled truffles gives me a little bit of the caffeine boost I’d otherwise be missing out on.

These are also fabulous when you’re feeling great. In fact, the mocha cream filling is so good on its own that I didn’t even dip the first batch into chocolate. I dreamed up this filling a couple of weeks ago and it tasted even better than I’d hoped. Basically it’s cashews whirred to creamy perfection with some coffee (both brewed coffee and finely ground espresso powder), cocoa (I absolutely love this fair-trade, Dutch-processed cocoa and use it in all my recipes), maple syrup for sweetness, and a little bit of salt and vanilla because all desserts need those two flavor-boosters. Sometimes cashew-based desserts taste too much like cashews to me but these don’t at all–the flavor is pure mocha.

Maple syrup pairs especially well with mocha. The dark undertones of its sweetness blend in with the coffee and chocolate so you don’t detect the maple flavor; you just wonder what other mysterious taste is in there that deepens and complements the mocha taste so well (see also this no-churn mocha ice cream made with homemade maple-sweetened condensed milk).

Anyway, after I made the first batch of this filling and scooped it into balls, I stuck it into the freezer to firm up so I could dip the truffles into melted chocolate later. That was on a Sunday afternoon and things got so busy with preparing for the work week that I didn’t get to it, so I thought I’d do it some evening that week after work. I told Ben he could try one or two of the naked truffles to see how he liked the filling, but not to eat them all because I was going to coat them in chocolate later.

Spring Green Soup with Sugar Snap Peas

April 11, 2016 By Becky 8 Comments

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

This spring green soup with sugar snap peas is an easy, tasty way to use up greens. With paleo, vegan, and Whole30 versions, everyone can enjoy this soup!

I’m pretty much the worst when it comes to using up salad greens. I’m not a salad person but I’m trying to become one, so I optimistically buy heads of lettuce and spring mixes with big plans to make showstopper salads like this one, simple side salads to add green to meals that otherwise lack verdant hues, and everything in between. As you may have guessed, it doesn’t always happen in time.

That’s where this spring green soup with sugar snap peas comes in. As I read through the April issue of Bon Appetit, I was excited to find a recipe in which salad greens that are a bit past their prime are blended into a fresh soup with peas and a little potato and topped with a dollop of creme fraiche. It sounded delicious, and like the perfect way to redeem myself by using up lots of healthy greens without having to eat a sad salad.

I decided to add a bit of an Asian twist to my soup, throwing some ginger and garlic into the base and deepening the flavors with a splash of fish sauce for umami and a squeeze of lime for acidity. The result is a soup that’s surprisingly light and refreshing, but with an intriguing taste that keeps you coming back for spoonful after spoonful.

Since this soup is all about not wasting food (and I also wanted to make it easy to create a Whole30-compliant version), I used whole sugar snap peas. Those pods are good for you, and including them means there’s no shelling required. If all you have is frozen peas, though, you can use those instead–that’s actually what’s called for in Bon Appetit’s recipe.