A Calculated Whisk - Page 2 of 34 - Creative paleo and gluten-free recipes

Pumpkin Alfredo with Seared Alaska Scallops

October 23, 2019 By Becky 2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. I’m thrilled to be partnering with ASMI to share a series of delicious recipes highlighting sustainable, wild-caught seafood from Alaska.

Pumpkin Alfredo with Seared Alaska Scallops

This low-carb pumpkin alfredo with seared Alaska scallops and crispy sage is the perfect quick but fancy dinner for chilly fall evenings at home.

I’m here with your perfect fall dinner: pumpkin, creamy sauce, brown butter seared Alaska scallops, and crispy sage. This is one I could eat pretty much every day of the week because it’s so flavorful and healthy but takes less than half an hour to make.

Did you know that Alaska has sustainable fishing built right into its state constitution? That means seafood from Alaska is always wild caught and fished in a way that preserves the environment and marine ecosystem for generations to come. I’m so excited to be partnering with Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to share a series of creative recipes with Alaska seafood and encourage you to #AskforAlaska while shopping and dining out.

October is National Seafood Month, so this is the perfect time to make sure you’re eating seafood several times a week. Why not start with this pumpkin alfredo with seared scallops?

Gluten-free Financiers with Figs

October 5, 2019 By Becky Leave a Comment

These gluten free financiers have a flavorful, tender crumb thanks to brown butter and almond flour, and are studded with fresh figs.

After weeks of sweltering weather with highs in the upper nineties, we’re finally having a “fallish” day here in Chattanooga with highs only reaching the upper eighties. I bake no matter the weather, but feeling a tiny chill in the mornings really makes me eager to turn on the oven. If you’re doing some fall baking this weekend, I highly recommend these gluten-free financiers with figs.

Financiers are a French treat made with brown butter, almond flour, and egg whites. There’s usually a bit of all-purpose flour in there, too, but here I’ve used cassava flour* (*affiliate link–I earn from qualifying purchases. All affiliate links in this post are marked with a *) to keep them gluten free and grain free.

Shepherd’s Pie with Rutabaga

September 24, 2019 By Becky 16 Comments

Rutabaga is even more delicious than potato atop this paleo version of shepherd’s pie. This shepherd’s pie with rutabaga is one of my go-to dinners during the colder months! Recipe and photos updated September 2019.

I’ve been making this shepherd’s pie with rutabaga for over five years now! It’s my husband’s very favorite and most-requested dinner, and I love it, too. With fall making its official arrival this week, I decided it was high time to pull this recipe out of the archives, shoot some new photos, streamline the cooking process, and share it with you again. (I’ve left in one of the old photos in for posterity–I’m sure you can figure out which one it is!)

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 2 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.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

May 17, 2019 By Becky 4 Comments

These dairy-free, gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are easy to make in one bowl and hard to stop eating!

I’m finally sharing the cookies I’ve been making over and over again since shortly after Madeline’s birth. These peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are dairy free, gluten free, and super simple to make. If you don’t like or can’t have peanut butter, they’re also amazing with cashew butter, and I bet other nut and seed butters will work, too.

While I wouldn’t call these health food, they do have good amounts of fiber, protein, and healthy fat. As a nursing mom, I love these because the oats help keep my supply up. However, these are not actual lactation cookies since they don’t have anything funky like brewer’s yeast or other ingredients not found in normal cookies that make you raise your eyebrows a little.

Madeline’s Fourth Trimester + Sleep Favorites

April 2, 2019 By Becky Leave a Comment

Madeline and her pop

Time flies when you have an adorable baby! Madeline is four months old tomorrow and I am just now getting around to sharing her fourth trimester and my favorite sleep products with you. Feel free to leave me questions in the comments section!

After Madeline was born, we ended up staying two nights in the hospital because it took a while (almost 24 hours!) for her to pee for the first time. She was a hungry, hungry girl and started pooping right away, but didn’t pee until a nurse gave her a bath when she was about twenty-four hours old. She wanted to nurse frequently and only slept for short periods of time, so I was completely exhausted. Finally, on the morning of January 4th, she was discharged and we got to bring her home.

The first few days were a blur. My mom was with us and my dad and stepmom arrived a few days after we got home. It was so nice to have my family around, as well as Ben’s, to feed us and love on our new baby in between nursing sessions. I wasn’t feeling too bad; I had some pain where my stitches were, but breastfeeding was actually more painful! I had to pee about every two seconds and was hungry and tired all the time, but other than that, I was just so happy.

Sesame Kale & Beef Rice Bowls with Fried Eggs & Pickled Carrots

April 1, 2019 By Becky 7 Comments

These sesame kale and beef rice bowls with fried eggs and pickled carrots make a quick and hearty gluten-free dinner with plenty of vibrant colors and rich flavors.

I’m finally back with a new recipe! I’m currently typing this with one hand while Madeline is nursing. Having a baby is a lot of fun, but it doesn’t leave me with much extra time. Luckily Madeline is generally an easygoing baby who eats and sleeps well and doesn’t cry too much, so if I play my cards right I can still get a fair amount accomplished.

It’s been wonderful having three uninterrupted months to focus on bonding with Madeline and Ben, but I’m very excited to get back to sharing recipes with you. These sesame kale and beef rice bowls with fried eggs and pickled carrots may sound like a mouthful, but they’re easy to put together and just the kind of thing I want to be eating on a Monday night.

Madeline’s Birth

February 26, 2019 By Becky 18 Comments

Madeline at one day old, still in the hospital. Photo: Lindsey Lowe

When I asked about it on Instagram, many of you were interested in hearing Madeline’s birth story, so here it is! I’m happy to answer questions in the comments if there’s anything you’d like to know more about.

Preparing for Birth

To get ready for Madeline’s birth, I took the Mama Natural Birth Course, which I loved. It covers nutrition and exercise during pregnancy, breathing exercises, comfort measures for natural birth, how to consider interventions and avoid if desired, labor positions, stages of labor, what happens after birth, breastfeeding, and more. Genevieve’s book, The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth, was also an extremely helpful resource.

I also went for lots of walks and went to prenatal yoga every week (if you’re in Chattanooga, the prenatal yoga class I took is with Brenda at Yoga Landing. It’s the only one I could find in town but it’s fabulous! I wish it were offered twice a week). I read lots of birth stories and watched lots of birth videos. At night before I fell asleep I spent time going through the pregnancy and childbirth affirmation cards that came with the Mama Natural course and imagining myself having an easy, relaxed, and natural birth.

I met with two different doulas and decided to work with Ashley from The Scenic City Doulas. She came to the house for a prenatal visit to go over our birth plan, answer all our questions, and make sure the carseat was installed correctly. I highly recommend Ashley and was so glad we worked with a doula (Ben was, too!). I’ll share plenty more details of how she helped us throughout this post.

Peppermint Blondies (Grain free, Dairy free)

December 20, 2018 By Becky 2 Comments

Peppermint Blondies (Gluten free, Grain free, Dairy free)

These gluten-free peppermint blondies taste like peppermint bark on top of the richest, chewiest blondies. They’re grain free, dairy free, and easy to make with just one bowl.

I’m sneaking in with one more recipe before Christmas! The other day I had the idea to make a peppermint version of my olive oil blondies, and I had to make it happen right away. The olive oil blondies have been my go-to party/potluck dessert for several years now. They’re always a hit and I always get lots of requests for the recipe. And no one has ever been able to taste the olive oil! (Although if you prefer, you can make them with avocado oil instead).